Australia: Crime gangs producing amphetamines

International criminals are exploiting Australia's deadly thirst for amphetamines by making drugs on unpatrolled Pacific islands.

Federal Justice Minister Chris Ellison said Australia needed to fight the craving for amphetamines and shut down their production in the South Pacific, Fairfax newspapers reported.

"I honestly think amphetamines are the biggest challenge we face as a nation," Senator Ellison said. "We need to shine a very big spotlight on this."

Organised crime gangs are using the islands to process drugs, including ecstasy, crack, ice and speed.

Australian Federal Police are worried at the ability of organised crime to evade detection in the South Pacific and import the drugs into Australia, which has the highest per capita use of ecstasy in the world.

Ecstasy use in Australia has almost tripled in the past 13 years, while users of other amphetamines have increased from 2 per cent to 3.2 per cent.

"I am very, very concerned about the increase in amphetamines production on a very large scale in the South Pacific," Senator Ellison said.

Their manufacture and transportation was suited to countries where the infrastructure for government was not strong or robust, he said.

Because the South Pacific is such a vast area, with many small nations and thousands of small islands, "it is just an ideal place for transnational criminal syndicates to operate and base their drugs operations".

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Sun, 10 Sept 2006
Source: The Age (Australia)
Copyright: 2006 AAP
Website: http://www.theage.com.au