Australian Ice Thread

[poledriver]

'You chose drugs over your Dad': Queensland police officer pens open letter about meth

A Queensland police officer has penned an emotional open letter about the illicit drug methamphetamine, recounting the moment an addict chose drugs over their own father.

The Queensland Police Service (QPS) has shared the letter written by Senior Constable Martin and titled "Dear meth, you are not welcome here".

In it, Snr Cst. Martin recounts his experience with a meth addict and their father.

He explains that the addict's father had tried to help them beat their addiction for the past 25 years, but recently decided to stop offering support after he was strangled by his own child.

"You clasped your hands around his throat and squeezed, and although you stopped before physical damage was done, he decided in that moment, he will not dance for you anymore," Snr Cst. Martin wrote.

"Last night the demon won, and you chose drugs over your Dad."

QPS added a warning at the end of the letter, urging people not to ever use or try methamphetamine, which is also known as meth, ice and crystal meth.

"If you think you can try meth once, just to see what it’s like, you’re very naive. You haven’t thought it through; you couldn’t have. Addicts often lose family, friends, careers, homes… hope," it read.

"Illicit drugs affect all corners of our community; don’t think it’s someone else’s problem."

If you are concerned about your own or someone else's drug use, phone the Alcohol and Drug Information Service on 1800 177 833.

Senior Constable Martin's full letter is below:

Dear meth,

You are an insidious, noxious waste of time and energy. You are not wanted, nor were you ever invited. You are not welcome here. You creep into homes and wreak havoc on families. You weave a tangled thread of violence and transgression through the fabric of our society. You are the knot in the noose.

You are methamphetamine, ice, crystal, whatever you want to call yourself, and you will never be welcome here.

An open letter to an addict I dealt with recently.

You won’t remember us, but today we watched as your strong, proud father reluctantly broke down, conceding defeat after a 25 year battle he waged for you; with you.

He took you in when you were drug-addled, paranoid, and so unnaturally euphoric you couldn’t sleep at all for days and days on end. Then, as you slept it off, he constantly checked on you, sometimes continuously for several days, to make sure you were still breathing.

He helplessly watched as medical staff de-fibrillated your lifeless body, resuscitated you and brought you back. More than once.

He listened to you scream behind closed doors as your body crashed, and you writhed as the cravings hit and withdrawals took hold.

He let you bathe repeatedly to wash away the stench of chemicals that seeped from your pores, and you scrubbed, clawing, to rid yourself of the bugs you believed were under your skin.

And when he finally lay down to rest his weary mind and body, you stole from him, and crept out to feed your demon again.

It’s a cycle, a ‘dance’ that you’ve both performed over and over for 25 years. His, a dance of unconditional love for you; yours, a dance of habit.

25 years…

But last night was different. You clasped your hands around his throat and squeezed, and although you stopped before physical damage was done, he decided in that moment, he will not dance for you anymore.

Last night the demon won, and you chose drugs over your Dad.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...life-destroying-drug-meth#o7qozAtwebzZjtEK.99

 

[poledriver]

Young mother who was 'driving under the influence of crystal meth when she crashed causing her daughter to be thrown from the car' is charged over the two-year-old's death

Valencia Marie Skipper charged over death of 2-year-old daughter Saphire
Charged with causing her death while driving under the influence of meth
Saphire died on January 13 in a car crash near Hastings, New Zealand

A 21-year-old mother has been charged with the death of her daughter while driving under the influence of methamphetamine.
Police have charged Valencia Marie Skipper from Hastings, New Zealand with causing the death of her two-year-old daughter Saphire Te Aroha Skipper-Hira while under the influence of the drug.
Saphire died on January 13 after she was thrown from a rolling car in a violent crash on the Hawke’s Bay expressway, near Hastings, Stuff reported.

There was a child restraint in the back of the vehicle but police said they are looking at the possibility that the toddler was not restrained at the time.
The Nissan Primera appeared to have crossed to the other side of the road and rolled into a ditch, the publication reported.
Ambulance crews tried to resuscitate Saphire, but she died at the scene.

Valencia Marie Skipper and her daughter’s aunt, who was also in the car, were taken to Hawke’s Bay Hospital with moderate injuries.
Ms Skipper was initially scheduled to appear in Hastings District Court on Monday, but her first appearance has been postponed until next month, the publication reported.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...e-crystal-meth-New-Zealand.html#ixzz4E9AdvSG3

 

[poledriver]

Review launched into death of man turned away from NSW mental health facility

A review has been launched into the death of a NSW man after he was turned away from a mental health facility.

Joshua Nixon, 28, was a father-of-three who was troubled by drug use, anxiety and depression.

When he admitted he needed help, his father Robert took him to Orange's mental health facility, at the Bloomfield Hospital, on April 17.

Mr Nixon told 9NEWS a staff member told the father and son to go home.

"She asked us what we were after and I proceeded to tell her that, you know, I’m here with my son – he's on ice, he's suffering from depression, he's drinking lots of alcohol, he's suicidal," he said.

"They turned my son away because of the long weekend.

"We were both like stunned mullets; didn't know what to say.

"It’s a week you got to try and get – I got to try and get my son through a week."

Joshua took his own life the night before he was due to go back to hospital, Mr Nixon said.

"My wife called me and said… he's gone," he said.

"As a dad I did everything possible that I could do, and so why is my son dead?"

Mr Nixon said his family was distraught, and Joshua was the second child they had lost to suicide.

New South Wales' Mental Health Minister Pru Goward has ordered a review into Joshua's case.

"We need to understand what happened and what should have happened before we can make changes," she said.

Readers who are seeking assistance can phone Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyondblue on 1300 224 636.

http://www.9news.com.au/health/2016...sw-mental-health-facility#J7ETedfWWQ3VZ5JJ.99

 

[poledriver]

Former AFL player manager Angie Papadopoulos charged over $1m ice haul

A former manager of high-profile AFL players in Perth has been charged with drug offences after allegedly being caught with almost 1 kilogram of ice.

Angie Papadopoulos, who once guided the careers of several West Coast Eagles players, has been charged with possession of methylamphetamine with intent to sell or supply.

It is alleged Papadopoulos, 57, and another man were found with the drugs, valued at almost $1 million, when police stopped their vehicle on the Mitchell Freeway on Saturday.

Police have alleged they also found $5,000 in the vehicle.

The men were remanded in custody when they appeared in court on Monday.

However it is understood Mr Papadopoulos is planning to make an application for bail when he reappears in court later this week.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-...ngie-papadopoulos-facing-drug-charges/7588614

 

[poledriver]

Methamphetamines seized
Posted Sat at 10:57am

Drugs seized during police raids across Sydney's west.

 

[poledriver]

Man and woman charged and 2kg ‘ice’ seized – SCC Drug Squad
Updated 34 minutes ago
A man and woman have been charged and another man is under police guard in hospital following an investigation into large-scale ‘ice’ supply in Sydney’s south-west.

Detectives from the State Crime Command’s Drug Squad established Strike Force Golder in February 2016 to investigate the supply of ‘ice’ (methylamphetamine) in the Macarthur region.

Following extensive investigations, a 38-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman were arrested by strike force detectives at a car park in Ambarvale about 10am today (Thursday 14 July 2016).

During a search of the pair, officers located and seized 2kg of ‘ice’.

The pair was taken to Campbelltown Police Station.

The 38-year-old man was charged with supply prohibited drug large commercial quantity, supply prohibited drug commercial quantity, and two counts supply prohibited drug.

The 48-year-old woman was charged with supply prohibited drug large commercial quantity.

Both were refused bail to appear at Campbelltown Local Court tomorrow (Friday 15 July 2016).

Shortly after the arrests, police executed three search warrants – two at homes in Ambarvale and one at a home in Rosemeadow – where they located and seized cash, ‘ice’, and heroin.

Detectives also arrested a 37-year-old man at Liverpool Hospital, who was charged with two counts of supply prohibited drug large commercial quantity.

He remains under police guard while being treated for an unrelated health condition, and is expected to have a bedside hearing tomorrow.

Inquiries are continuing.

 

[Jabberwocky]

 

[Hiltoniano]

Lol... What the hell^

 

[slimvictor]

"E.T Fuck Hole" (to be said in a raspy E.T. imitation voice, sounding like "E.T. Phone Home")

 

[poledriver]

 

[poledriver]

Suspect on the run and another faces court after police seize four kilograms of methamphetamine

Police have seized four kilograms of methamphetamine and charged a man with drug offences after a joint investigation into drug trafficking in South Australia.

About 12:30am on Wednesday, police searched a car on the South Eastern Freeway after a tip-off from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ASIC).

No drugs were found during a roadside search of the SUV and its two occupants were released, although the car was retained by police.

A more comprehensive search of the car later found the drugs hidden inside a sophisticated hydrologic compartment.

A New South Wales man from Cabramatta, Leo Trinh, 24, was arrested at Adelaide airport.

A second suspect of a similar age fled to Sydney and remains on the run from police.

Mr Trinh faced the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday, charged with drug trafficking, and did not apply for bail.

He is due back in court on September 20.

SAPOL officers from its Serious and Organised Crime Branch have been working with ASIC to investigate the transportation of illegal drugs into the state.

Detective superintendent Craig Patterson from SA said the seized methamphetamine was estimated to be worth $4 million.

"This seizure has stopped 40,000 street deals being sold into the South Australian community," he said.
ACIC SA operations state manager Mario Armiento said methamphetamine posed by far the "greatest threat to the Australian public of all illicit drug types, and by a significant margin".

"More than 60 per cent of Australia's highest risk, serious and organised crime targets are involved in the market," he said.

"The profitability and success of serious and organised crime comes at a cost for individuals, families, the community, government and ultimately to all Australians."

Police said enquires were ongoing and further arrests and charges were expected.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-...r-police-seize-four-kilograms-of-meth/7630134

 

[poledriver]

Broker working for ANZ jailed for stealing almost $300,000

A bank worker who stole almost $300,000 by using fake names to apply for loans has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail.

Danyelle Lea Twine, also known as Danyelle Pye, pleaded guilty to using false names and documents to successfully apply for 11 loans while working as a broker for the ANZ Bank in Cairns during 2012 and 2013.

The District Court heard the mother of two was on an involuntary treatment order for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia at the time, but still managed to have a $1,000-a-day methylamphetamine habit which was funded by her offending.

Judge Dean Morzone said the community mental health service was inadequate and underfunded, despite the best efforts of staff.

"She was unsupervised to maintain illicit substance abuse while under an involuntary treatment order which is quite bizarre," he said.

"The offending was intricate, calculated, sophisticated and determined.

"Despite your mental illness you knew what you were doing was wrong and unlawful … but your judgement was impaired by your drug addiction and mental state."

Twine was sentenced to four-and-a half-years jail but the judge set a December parole date because of concerns prison could adversely affect her psychiatric conditions.

"The risk of aggravation of your condition is serious but one that can be managed," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-14/danyelle-twine-broker-for-anz-jailed-for-stealing/7628924

 

[Jabberwocky]

Melbourne woman killed over $50: court

A Victorian woman fatally stabbed an ice dealer to punish her for stealing $50, a jury has heard.

Alicia Schiller has pleaded not guilty to murdering Tyrelle Evertsen-Mostert on November 9, 2014 at the house they shared in Norlane.

The jury was told during the opening of her Supreme Court trial that Schiller repeatedly stabbed Ms Evertsen-Mostert to punish her for stealing $50 from her.

However, the crown said Ms Evertsen-Mostert, an ice dealer, had "borrowed" the cash to buy ice which she would on-sell, and would return the money later.

Prosecutor Mark Rochford QC said in the lead up to the killing the 26-year-old Schiller had been drinking, talking angrily about her missing money, was seen with knives and heard saying: "I don't care if she took it or not. I'll gut her".

Mr Rochford said the accused planned to confront Ms Evertsen-Mostert with the knife as punishment, before going on to stab her numerous times.

"It is the Crown case that Ms Schiller intended to kill her at that time when she attacked her with this knife or do her really serious injury. That was her intention," Mr Rochford said on Thursday.

But defence counsel Scott Johns said while Schiller was an ice user, she was not a murderer.

"There was a fight. Things got out of hand. She did use a knife," he said.

Mr Johns said the incident unfolded in the "heat of the moment" and Schiller did not mean to kill or cause really serious injury to her housemate.

"Alicia Schiller is drug affected, upset, paranoid probably, finds herself in the middle, she lashes out," Mr Johns said.

"It is a fluid, dynamic, scary situation.

"We say there will be no proof of intent to kill or cause really serious injury and evidence of an argument, struggle."

Mr Johns urged jurors not to let any prejudices they have about ice users or dealers affect their judgment.

The trial before Justice Jane Dixon resumes Friday.


Source: http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/07/14/17/59/vic-woman-killed-over-50-court#Ri13z625ocRC3Xk0.99

 

[poledriver]

Talking Point: Tasmania needs ice inhalation centre to help people overcome adiction

ICE is an issue for some Tasmanians. This newspaper reported last Wednesday findings from the latest Illicit Drug Reporting System report which found that the number of people arrested for either using or selling the drug increased from 72 in 2013-14 to 383 in 2014-15.

The report found that the majority, 266, of those arrested were drug users, while 117 were dealers, according to the Mercury Crime Editor David Killick.

MORE: SPIKE IN METHAMPHETAMINE ARRESTS

The hysteria around the form of methamphetamine known as ice is just that – an over-reaction. In fact the numbers quoted by Killick are hardly earth shattering.

Ice is not an inherently violent drug. Recently at a seminar sponsored by the Australian Law Students Association – which held its annual conference in Hobart – all speakers, which included this columnist, the Law Society president Matt Verney and a very senior Tasmania Police officer, rejected the stereotype of violent, drug-crazed ice addict. However ice is a drug which can cause harm to users, their families and communities. So let’s deal with the issue in a rational, evidence-based way.

The number one priority is to stop focusing heavily on law enforcement. Even Ken Lay, a former Victoria police commissioner and head of a national taskforce on ice, has said you cannot arrest your way out of this issue.

MORE: A COMPLEX PROBLEM WITH NO SINGLE ANSWER

One of the most sensible solutions is to do what we have done with heroin – establishing safe places where people can take ice and be supported through treatment for their addiction. The Kings Cross Medically Supervised Injection Centre, established by former New South Wales premier Bob Carr in 2001 and which was given permanent status in 2010, has been a stunning success.

Ask the residents of inner eastern Sydney and they, along with police, will tell you crime rates have dropped sharply and those who are treated at the facility have a habit of not returning to heroin.

One of the pioneers of the Kings Cross centre was Dr Alex Wodak, the leading addiction specialist in Australia. Dr Wodak and Matt Noffs, who comes from a family in Sydney that has helped the most disadvantaged and at risk people in the community for generations, are now looking to establish an ice inhalation centre in Sydney. This columnist has invited them to discuss the establishment of a centre in Tasmania.

In Germany and Switzerland drug inhalation rooms are commonplace.

Recently ABC-TV’s 7.30 program spoke with Dr Ingo Ilja Michaels of the German Ministry of Health who said that in his country on the issue of drug inhalation facilities there is “no controversy, no debate, it’s just supported by all parties because they have been a part of reducing public nuisance, reducing deaths, reducing problems with the neighbourhood”.

Perhaps the Greens spokeswoman on the issue, Rosalie Woodruff, could talk to her Green counterparts in Germany rather than doing, as she did last week, whip up misplaced fear about ice use. And the ALP ought to talk to Bob Carr, who is strongly supportive of an ice inhalation facility in Sydney.

Ice is a drug which can cause harm to users, their families and communities. So let’s deal with the issue in a rational, evidence-based way.

Mick Palmer, a former Federal Police commissioner, supports Wodak and Noffs. He told the 7.30 program on July 7: “There’s a wide recognition among law enforcement colleagues ... that the current arrangements we have in place aren’t achieving the outcomes we would like to achieve, that in many ways it is badly broken.”

Let us put to bed the myth that is peddled by ill-informed (some deliberately so) opponents of drug injecting or inhalation facilities. That myth runs something like this: if you set up such centres you encourage “undesirable” types into the neighbourhood and reduce safety for citizens.

Well let’s now deal with the facts. There is simply no evidence that such a state of affairs exists anywhere such centres operate. In fact the opposite is true. People dealing with drug addiction and who go to such centres are motivated to get better. Go to Kings Cross any day or night of the week and walk around the drug facility there – you see the well-heeled and the backpackers mixing and mingling. The centre and its clients are so discreet you need to have the place pointed out.

The beauty of an ice inhalation room is, as Wodak says, patients can use clean equipment and health professionals at the centre can offer recovery treatment. Users can have a shower, get fed, talk about mental health issues and generally the community benefits through reduced overdoses and crime.

So who opposes this mainstream medical idea? Zealots who believe in abstinence, weak and reactionary politicians and of course the worst group of the lot – those who actually think there can be a drug free world. You know, the same people who think the earth is flat.

Lawyer Greg Barns was an adviser to NSW Liberal premier Nick Greiner and the Howard government. Disendorsed as the Liberal candidate for Denison in 2002, he joined the Democrats. In 2013, he was Wikileaks Party adviser.

http://www.themercury.com.au/news/o...n/news-story/fe45ad2da883d3374fd02718624326ba

 

[poledriver]

Media Release: Man charged with importing 5kg of crystal meth

A 20-year-old Chinese national appeared before the Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday (Tuesday, 19 July) charged with allegedly importing crystal methamphetamine (Ice) through the international air mail stream.

Taskforce Icarus officers from the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Victoria Police and Australian Border Force (ABF) commenced a joint agency operation into these detections late last month (June 2016).

ABF officers at the Melbourne Gateway Facility identified five suspicious consignments which, upon examination, contained a combined weight of 5280 grams of Ice. Each consignment contained over one kilogram of Ice concealed within dried cuttlefish.

The total street value of the five consignments is estimated to be $5.28 million.

On Friday (15 July), officers from the AFP, Victoria Police and ABF arrested a man at a Burwood address and subsequently executed a search warrant at the man’s Brunswick East residence. Officers seized a 2012 Mercedes Benz coupe under confiscated assets legislation.

He was charged with:

Five counts of importing a commercial quantity of border controlled drugs, namely methamphetamine, contrary to section 307.1(1) of Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
Three counts of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of border controlled drugs, namely methamphetamine, which was unlawfully imported, contrary to section 307.5(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
One count of possessing a drug of dependence, namely methamphetamine, contrary to section 73 of the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act (Vic).
The maximum penalty for these offences is life imprisonment.Task Force Icarus is a joint agency initiative that targets those who seek to use the international mail and air cargo systems for criminal activity.

Australia’s law enforcement agencies need the community’s ongoing assistance to minimise the harm caused by drugs, and urge anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or to submit at confidential crime report at www.crimestoppers.com.au.

Note: The estimated street value of this seizure has been calculated according to the national median drug price for the specific drug as listed in the latest Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission Illicit Drug Data Report (URL). The final total is expressed as if the seizure would have been broken up at its current level of purity and sold at the end of the supply chain in individual street dosage units.


https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/m...elease-man-charged-importing-5kg-crystal-meth

 

[poledriver]

 

[Jabberwocky]

Three charged over $45m ice bust in Sydney

A Sydney driver who was busted talking on his mobile phone has unwittingly led police to nearly $45 million worth of ice.

Police say they pulled the 26-year-old man over in the Haymarket on Friday after they spotted him using his phone while behind the wheel, only to find three kilograms of methamphetamine, or ice, in his car.

That led them to stop a 30-year-old man carrying a suitcase along Canberra Street in St Johns Park, in the city's west, on Saturday afternoon, and seize 10 kilograms of ice from him.

Four hours later, police swooped on a home in the same street, where they arrested a 21-year-old man and seized $1.4 million cash.

Another search warrant was executed at a home on Ann Street, Marrickville, where police say they found almost 77.6 kilograms of ice.

The total quantity of ice seized is said to have a potential street value of almost $45 million.

The 30-year-old man and the 21-year-old are in custody and will face Parramatta Local Court later on Sunday over proceeds of crime and drug possession charges.

The 26-year-old man has already appeared in court and is expected to remain behind bars until he reappears in Central Local Court on Thursday.


Source: http://www.news.com.au/national/bre...y/news-story/7d58ff7a73a5faadf3df798d19206b0b

 

[poledriver]

A man using a mobile phone while driving has led to the seizure of almost 90kg of methylamphetamine (ICE) which has an estimated potential street value of almost $45 million.
Officers attached to the Redfern Region Enforcement Squad (RES) stopped a 26-year-old man in Thomas Street, Haymarket, on Friday (22 July 2016), when he was seen using his mobile phone.
Police allege 3kg of ICE – which has an estimated potential street value of $1.2 million – was found in the car.

Following further investigations, Redfern RES officers stopped a man carrying a suitcase on Canberra Street, St Johns Park, about 4.30pm yesterday (Saturday 23 July 2016).
Police searched the 30-year-old man and allegedly seized 10kg of ICE. The man was arrested and taken to Fairfield Police Station.
Just before 8pm, police executed a search warrant at a home on Canberra Street, St Johns Park, and seized $1.4 million cash.
A 21-year-old man was arrested at the property and taken to Fairfield Police Station.

Following inquiries, another search warrant was executed at a home on Ann Street, Marrickville, where police allegedly located and seized almost 77.6kg of ICE.
Police have now charged these two men.

The 30-year-old man has been charged with two counts of supply prohibited drug – large commercial quantity, and deal in proceeds of crime.
The 21-year-old man has been charged with knowingly dealing in the proceeds of crime, and possess a prohibited drug.
Both men were refused bail to appear at Parramatta Local Court today (Sunday 24 July 2016).

The 26-year-old man, who was arrested on Friday, was yesterday refused bail and remanded to appear in Central Local Court this Thursday (28 July 2016).

 

[poledriver]

So I go back one page in this thread and read -

A Western Australia Joint Organised Crime Task Force operation has resulted in drug importation charges being laid against 14 people and the seizure of approximately 200 kilograms of methamphetamine worth approximately $200 million.

And on the above bust it says -

90kg of methylamphetamine (ICE) which has an estimated potential street value of almost $45 million.

So I am wondering is a kilo of ice worth $1 million, or is it now worth half a million per kilo?

How do they come up with these overly bloated prices? Pull a number out of a hat?

Anyone wont to have a guess at how much a kilo of ice would cost to make? Jack shit would be my guess.

 

[Jabberwocky]

On another note who the hell goes walking down the road with a suitcase of ice. Whoever got busted is obviously a runner for someone bigger. I mean seriously a 21 year old has over a mil at home?