Category Archives: Drugs

10 August 2012 Last updated at 11:21 ET Two people have appeared in court charged with drugs offences after police raids in Limavady on Thursday in which seven houses were searched. Dean McDaid, 32, and Laura Forrest, 21, both of Glenbank Walk in Limavady were charged with possessing mephedrone with intent to supply on 9 August. Both were also charged with possessing cannabis and Ms Forrest with possessing Diazapam on the same date. The court was told several other people were arrested during the raids. A prosecution lawyer told Londonderry Magistrates Court police had entered the defendants' house and found them both in bed with a mat with white powder and a rolled up 5 note on it. They also found a quantity of cannabis, two sets of scales, 100 gms of white powder, a bag marked not fit for human consumption and small plastic bags. Police also seized a mobile phone and two SIM cards. Ms Forrest told police she had bought the white powder from a website and believed it to be a legal high. She said the scales were for cooking and weighing jewellery for selling. Read this article: Two face court after drugs raids … Continue reading →

Etsy has become the go-to spot for homemade jewelry, knickknacks and household goods. But apparently, some have been using the online marketplace to sell everything from drugs to human remains. Now Etsy is cracking down. The online marketplace recently revised its policies, excluding from its list of sellable items such products as tobacco, hazardous materials and body parts (hair and teeth are still OK). "Though odd as it may sound, we've spent long hours over the past several months extensively researching some offbeat and fascinating topics, from issues surrounding the sale of human bones to the corrosive and toxic properties of mercury," the company wrote on its official blog on Wednesday. Etsy says the changes are made in order to comply with legal rules and restrictions. "But beyond that, when it comes right down to it, some things just aren't in the spirit of Etsy," the online company wrote. "While we understand that it is possible for certain items to be carefully and legally bought and sold, Etsy is just not the right venue for them." Related story: Etsy's secret The "Cult of Me" Related story: Etsy's secret? The "Cult of Me" The new policy prohibits the sale of human … Continue reading →

Tom Fedor/The Gazette Potpourri being sold by the name "spice" is pictured at Classic Cigars & British Goodies on Monday afternoon, November 14, 2011, in Frederick, MD. The sale of designer drugs in Frederick may be illegal in the next few months, thanks to new federal legislation and a possible city ordinance prohibiting the sale of bath salts and synthetic marijuana. Federal legislation that goes into effect in Oct. 1 is designed to help authorities combat an ever-changing list of chemicals that keeps manufacturers one step ahead of the law, according to Capt.Tom Ledwell of the Frederick Police Department. The federal law is part of a broader measure targeting many more chemical compounds than a law passed last year. Two bath salt chemicals, mephedrone and MDPV, were banned last October. Health and law-enforcement officials say the drugs lead to bizarre behavior and health problems. Stemming the tide of such drugs will take a multifaceted effort that may also include a new local law, Ledwell said. Frederick police have identified six businesses in the city that sell the designer drugs, four of them on Market Street, but suspect there are more. None of the businesses is currently selling anything illegal, according … Continue reading →

Drugs with a street value of more than $2 million, $500,000 in cash, guns and two snakes were seized in 36 raids across southeast Queensland, according to police. A major drug operation has been closed after 29 people were charged with 101 offences as a result of the raids which were part of Operation Ice Sandal. Detectives from State Crime Operations Command, Logan District and South Region executed 36 search warrants yesterday across Ormeau, Mt Warren Park, Beenleigh, Wynnum, Cornubia, Thorneside, Eagleby, Capalaba, Boronia Heights, Upper Mt Gravatt, Coorparoo and Hillcrest. About $500,000 in cash was seized along with methylamphetamines, cannabis plants in a hydroponic set up, an illicit drug laboratory, various quantities of other drugs including GBH, ecstasy and steroids. Firearms, stun guns, ammunition and two snakes were also netted in the raids. Advertisement Four people, including a 28-year-old Bethania man, a 35-year-old Belivah man, a 31-year-old Eagleby man and a 23-year-old Windaroo man, were charged with trafficking dangerous drugs. The other charges include: View original post here: Drugs, cash, guns and snakes seized in major police operation … Continue reading →

Police swooped on a house and seized drugs, as part of a crackdown on the regions street gangs. Officers targeted the property in West Bromwich and arrested two men on suspicion of possession. Sniffer dogs searched the terraced home in Mary Road, near Holy Trinity Church, after police burst through the door at about 3pm yesterday. The raid was carried out by local neighbourhood officers and investigators from a task force formed to tackle street gangs in the West Midlands. Sergeant Richard Bird said police carried out the raid in response to community concerns about drugs supply in the area. We have had intelligence from residents and have taken action. If there are concerns about drugs in the area we will always seek to act upon that. A team of about 12 officers took part in yesterdays operation. A black Peugeot car parked outside the property was also searched, while police seized cannabis and plant growing equipment from inside. Officers arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of possession of class B drugs and a 17-year-old on suspicion of possession of class A and B drugs. They have both been bailed pending further inquiries. Residents said they were pleased that action … Continue reading →

Advances | More Science See Inside Few medications have been proved safe for children, leaving doctors in a bind By Melinda Wenner Moyer | August 9, 2012 Image: STEVEN ERRICO Getty Images It is a conundrum that has frustrated pediatricians for decades: children get sick and need drugs, yet few medications have been approved for their use. A recent study and a government report published in February concluded that, most of the time, doctors are forced to prescribe drugs to young patients without adequate data, putting kids at risk for overdoses, side effects and long-term health problems. In late June Congress was poised to strengthen existing laws that encourage pharmaceutical companies to test medicines in kids, but that won't solve the safety problems associated with pediatric drugs. Drugmakers resist testing their products in children because doing so is risky, expensive and difficultand it is rarely worthwhile from a business perspective because children make up a small percentage of the world's drug consumers. Yet children metabolize drugs differently from adults. The adage that a child is not just a small adult is true: you can't simply scale down a dose of a drug from adults and expect it to behave identically … Continue reading →

Drugs gang pair jailed for 17 years Members of a gang which controlled the supply of drugs to large parts of Britain have been jailed. The Merseyside-based traffickers plotted to flood the streets of Scotland, South Wales, Lancashire and Cheshire with heroin and cocaine. Police said the "major players" in the drugs trade were caught following an eight-month covert operation by the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit, Titan. During the investigation, police seized drugs with a wholesale value of 1 million - including 20.4lb (9.25kg) of heroin, 18.2lb (8.25kg) of cocaine, 26.5lb (12kg) of amphetamine and 11,370 class C benzylpiperazine (BZP) tablets. Gang leaders John Cooke, 32, of Walmer Road, Birkdale, Merseyside, and James Swarez, 44, of Queens Road, Crosby, Merseyside, were both jailed for 17 years at Liverpool Crown Court after earlier pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply controlled drugs. The pair, who lived a luxury lifestyle thanks to their ill-gotten gains, obtained high purity drugs from trafficker Paul McDonald, 44, and used a network of couriers to target drug addicts in Glasgow, Cardiff, Preston and Ellesmere Port. McDonald, of Fernbank Road, Huyton, who also admitted conspiracy to supply controlled drugs, was jailed for 15 years. Ten other … Continue reading →

Tom Fedor/The Gazette Potpourri being sold by the name "spice" is pictured at Classic Cigars & British Goodies on Monday afternoon, November 14, 2011, in Frederick, MD. The sale of designer drugs in Frederick may be illegal in the next few months, thanks to new federal legislation and a possible city ordinance prohibiting the sale of bath salts and synthetic marijuana. Federal legislation that goes into effect in Oct. 1 is designed to help authorities combat an ever-changing list of chemicals that keeps manufacturers one step ahead of the law, according to Capt.Tom Ledwell of the Frederick Police Department. The federal law is part of a broader measure targeting many more chemical compounds than a law passed last year. Two bath salt chemicals, mephedrone and MDPV, were banned last October. Health and law-enforcement officials say the drugs lead to bizarre behavior and health problems. Stemming the tide of such drugs will take a multifaceted effort that may also include a new local law, Ledwell said. Frederick police have identified six businesses in the city that sell the designer drugs, four of them on Market Street, but suspect there are more. None of the businesses is currently selling anything illegal, according … Continue reading →

The multi-billion pound pharmaceutical industry has spent the last decade developing new drugs which have produced little benefit and caused considerable harm, experts say today. Click HERE to view graphic The claim that there is an "innovation crisis" in pharmaceuticals because of the difficulty and expense of discovering new drugs is a myth fostered by an industry whose chief focus is on marketing, they add. Counter to drug industry claims that the pipeline of new drugs is running dry, the number of new drugs being licensed each year has remained at between 15 and 25. But most involve minor tweaks to existing drugs, designed to grab a slice of an existing market rather than offering genuine therapeutic innovation. Independent reviews suggest that 85 to 90 per cent provide little benefit over existing treatments with some, such as Vioxx the painkiller and Avandia, the diabetes drug, causing serious side effects which led to their withdrawal, the latter's in Europe. Writing in the British Medical Journal, Professor Donald Light from the University of Medicine of New Jersey and Joel Lexchin from York University in Toronto say the situation has remained the same for 50 years. The incentives for drug development are wrong … Continue reading →

NEW YORK A lost-luggage handler ran an Ecuador-to-New York smuggling ring that disguised drugs in chocolates and cocaine-soaked scuba diving certificates, and he stole valuables out of flyers' misplaced bags that he was hired to deliver, authorities said Tuesday. Jorge Guerrero arranged to ship innocent-looking but drug-laden packages on cargo planes from Guayaquil, Ecuador, to New York's Kennedy Airport, authorities said as Guerrero, his wife and four others pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and other charges. The packages went to parcel-delivery companies, where the conspirators picked them up, authorities said. Seized shipments read like a bizarre shopping list: sugar and oatmeal cookies packed atop a pound of cocaine, chocolate candies laced with half a pound of heroin, and empanadas -- a Latin American savory pastry -- stuffed with over three pounds of cocaine, all in professional-looking packages as if bound for store shelves, according to authorities. Also listed was a stack of diving course diplomas that had been drenched in more than three pounds of cocaine, which was apparently to be extracted later. Guerrero sometimes picked up the packages while on his trips for a baggage-delivery company, and he also exploited his job to mine jewelry, electronics and other items … Continue reading →