Australian Ice Thread

[poledriver]

My ice addiction: from both sides

Something had to pay for the ice. I stole everything my family had. That's what it came to, and that's how I had to live, says Junior*.

Ice was my drug of choice because it made me active. You feel nothing. It makes you able to approach people; you don't feel like you're embarrassed. You don't feel anything, other than you can walk up to anyone or anything and do anything you want.

Ice is a party drug mostly. People use it like ecstasy - that was my other choice.

Something had to pay for it. The pension couldn't, Newstart couldn't, my family couldn't, because I stole off them, I stole everything they had. That's what it came to, and that's how I had to live, and that's how it is. That's what everybody does - that uses ice or meth that gets hooked and stuck on it - they will go to any limit to get what they can to make a coin.

I wasn't sleeping for maybe 20 days to a month. Anxiety attacks, panic attacks - they come from the heart rate because your heart rate is pumping so flat out.

People are never going to stop people from doing anything. It depends on their atmosphere, how they're treated, and what they're going through in life. Because there's people out there with worse lives than us, that don't know how to be helped, that don't know how to ask the question to be helped.

I found out the reasons why I had to change the way I was, and why. I needed the love of my mum. My parents parted at a younger age and I've got an anger boiling in me, still until this day, that I hide. I long for the love of my mum, just to spend some time with my mum, so it's hiding the pain of that. One day it may come true, she may come back to tell me that she loves me and give me a cuddle. That's all I want, is to one day get a cuddle off my mum.

I've just changed my appearance, and starting to pick up my self esteem. Everything's going great since I've had the turnaround and the support and knowing it's there. I'm waiting to hear back this week to find out whether I'll receive a roof over my head, for the first time in 20 years.

I ring my Salvation Army caseworker Simon, and I've also got a probation officer and she's there 110 per cent. I can ring her on a private number and she's there any time I need too, a great sponsor. So I've got two people there, other than my girlfriend; I have had her there for 12 years, through thick and thin, she's been with me.

I've been clean now nearly three years and it's been great. I just keep away from the drug. I don't go near it.

It's better on the other side.

*Junior told his story about his addiction to crystal methamphetamine to ABC Open. Junior is not his real name.

If you need advice about coping with your situation there are lots of places to get help. Find someone to help you.
24 hour support is available from Lifeline - 13 11 14
More information about methamphetamines at Reachout and ABC Health and Wellbeing.

 

[Burnt Offerings]

I've never really been able to comprehend "ice addiction", despite growing up in the rural western USA...to me, a true addict (who is in "active addiction") is someone who uses, or at least tries to use, every day. Living a life of everyday methamphetamine use is living a life of insanity. I couldn't even make it work with weekly usage, let alone daily. "Kudos" to the true tweakers out there who can make it work though (I guess)

 

[poledriver]

ICE TOWNS -

The rise of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as ice, is devastating regional Victoria.
Ice is highly addictive, it's relatively cheap and a lot of it is produced right here in Australia.
It is a drug that is most often associated with bigger cities but as The Feed found out, ice is infiltrating small towns such as Horsham and Shepparton, destroying families and communities…

Watch the short documentary “Ice Towns” -

http://www.sbs.com.au/icetowns/

 

[poledriver]

Mainlined in Meth Town: How a young girl became a raging ice addict in a quiet rural community

EXCLUSIVE

FOURTEEN years ago when she was plunged into the ice addiction that nearly killed her, Tita-Ann Albertella was mainlined by her boyfriend against her will.
Aged just 18, but already the mother of two young children, she was living in the northern Queensland town of Ayr.

Better known in the early 2000s as the twin town of Home Hill in sugar cane country around the delta of the Burdekin River, Ayr and nearby Townsville have since become rural methamphetamine hubs.
And for a while Tita-Ann became one of Ayr’s meth dealers, drawn into a violent world by a massive addiction.

Her weight dropped to a skeletal 42kg and she was so desperate that she tried to hang herself more than once.
“I’m afraid to go back there, the scene is so heavy,” Ms Albertella told news.com.au in an exclusive interview.

“I’m afraid some of the really bad people might kill me, or hurt people I love.”
Back in 2003, Tita-Ann was struggling in a violent relationship with an amphetamine addict and trying to resist drugs.

It was a struggle that she would ultimately lose.

“He tried to inject in my arm and I always pulled away, but then one day he did it, held my arm down and injected me.
“I thought I was dead. My eyes went black and my heart was racing and everything spinning and I crawled into the shower.

“But after that I just had to keep on taking it, thought I could never inject myself.
“He always did it. He would stay awake for days.

“That was speed. Ice hit Ayr in about 2010 and it was a thousand times worse.
“I tried to get off it, but he was a big time drug dealer and I was scared.”

Tita-Ann would eventually end that relationship and start another with a young man who hid his past from her.
What she didn’t know was that the man had a history of violence, sexual assault and drugs.

The man, who cannot be identified, frequently assaulted her and, she says, his family would turn a blind eye to her obvious cuts and bruises.
But she was given an unlikely reprieve.
Her boyfriend was jailed for assault and given a significant sentence.

In the years he spent in prison, she managed to stop taking ice and find a new relationship with a man who she married.
But then her old boyfriend was released on parole, and in small-town Ayr he began taunting Tita-Ann’s husband that she was cheating on him.

Her marriage ended and she went back to her old boyfriend and started taking ice again, with him injecting her.

Tita-Ann’s renewed addiction spiralled out of control. Her weight plummeted, she sold ice to fund her habit and she associated with criminals.
She lost most of her possessions, including two cars to drug dealers and her boyfriend tried to make her stay awake for five day ice benders.
He became so paranoid he told others that Tita-Ann “had cameras in her eyes” and was recording his drug taking for the police.

She says that during her time on ice she has seen the result of drug-fuelled violence when addicts beat others in the pursuit of money for drugs and the “stealing, lying and threats” of life on the drug.
Eventually, Tita-Ann was saved by an aunt who came up to Ayr to drag her away from the drug culture and back to Brisbane to start rehabilitation.

That was eight months ago, and she has now been mostly free from drugs during that period and has started studying with the aim of becoming a youth worker.
And the 32-year-old has come forward to tell her story to help other victims of ice.

Now she has also given up alcohol and is training for a 1200km walk from Brisbane to Ayr to raise awareness about the methamphetamine problem in northern Queensland towns.
Tita-Ann has put on weight and is already walking 50km a day ahead of the fundraising event she plans for June.

She has launched a dedicated Facebook page to fund the walk and a special bus to accompany her on the two week campaign during which she plans to sleep in a tent and meet with people along the way.
The mayor of the Burdekin Shire Council has given Tita-Ann support in her ultimate aim — to have a rehabilitation facility open in Ayr for drug addicts.

She says former drug associates living in the town regard her as “a traitor”.
“And I am but it’s to the drug. People need help to get off ice and help get their lives together”.

Even so, returning to Ayr where she was once both an ice user and ice dealer is a daunting prospect.
She is frightened of former drug associates and is not confident that police in Ayr have sufficient officers to keep the drug trade at bay.

Tita-Ann said her former drug “friends” are saying it’s not true that she has kicked her habit, but that the proof was in her healthy appearance compared with her former gaunt “junkie” look.
Queensland Police have launched a number of ant-drug operations in Ayr and Townsville over the last few years.

Anyone wishing to sponsor or support Tita-Ann’s walk against drugs can contact her via her Facebook page.

DIARY OF AN ‘ICE’ TOWN

June 2015

After six weeks of continual drug raids, Ayr detectives shut down a methamphetamine lab and charged 25 people with drug offences.
Eighteen males and seven females between the ages of 15 and 47 were charged with 157 offences as part of Operation North Opulence.
Police executed 11 search warrants in Ayr, Home Hill and Townsville, and discovered what was described as a meth lab in Canberra St, Ayr.
Ayr detectives seized over 200 grams of cannabis, 14 cannabis plants, amphetamine oil and ice as well as $2000 in cash, a flick knife and a homemade knuckle duster.

November 2015

A haul of firearms, narcotics and cash seized during a three-day operation in north Queensland was revealed by Townsville police.
Operation Thaddaeus, which resulted in 12 people being charged with 26 drug-related offences, was run by the Queensland Police Service and Australian Border Force (ABF).
As part of the operation, police and sniffer dogs discovered 72 ecstasy tablets at the Townsville ferry terminal ahead of a Full Moon Halloween party.

May 2016

Detectives from the Ayr Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) charged 11 people with drug and weapons offences under Operation North Impasse.
Police officers executed nine search warrants in Ayr and Home Hill and charged the eleven with 43 offences.

the charges included possession of a dangerous drug, possession of a utensil and possession of property suspected of being used in connection with a drug.
Police said a variety of drugs located during the searches included cannabis, methylamphetamine, ice and Viagra.

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/he...y/news-story/1b31bf58157b66884744c56ad9cfaa93

 

[poledriver]

Andrew Graham Kelly jailed for supplying ice in Tamworth after New England Highway, Kootingal arrest

$90,000 of ice uncovered by police in secret hiding spot in car

A TAMWORTH horsebroker who stashed a load of the drug ice he was dealing in a hidden compartment in a car to avoid detection, has been jailed for three years.

Andrew Graham Kelly won’t be eligible for parole until at least the end of next year after he was found with enough ice to fetch $90,000 on the streets of Tamworth.

The now-29-year-old wasn’t driving the car, but the sock the 115.3g of methylamphetamine was stashed in matched another lone black sock found during a raid on a Kootingal home.

Close to a dozen of Kelly’s family and supporters watched on in Tamworth District Court as Judge Jeffery McLennan detailed Kelly’s drug dealing efforts.

“This is not the efforts of an amateur," Judge McLennan said in sentencing, pointing to the 71 per cent purity of the methylamphetamine.

“That is a very high level of purity for that drug.”

The court was told Kelly had a clear history besides a minor driving offence but turned to the drug after a relationship breakdown and then went on to deal to fund his habit.

“He asserts that he was depressed … and commenced taking drugs,” his barrister said.

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) solicitor Mark Ferguson said there was “a degree of planning” because Kelly “had access to a significant quantity of methylamphetamine”.

“It is clear he was engaged in a commercial enterprise,” he said.

​”The facts indicate he was travelling to and from Sydney to source the drug and bring it back to spread into the Tamworth community.”

The court was told Kelly had a set of scales, a number of bags and the drug’s “very high level” of purity meant it could have been cut down “into many, many street size deals”.

This is not the efforts of an amateur ... that is a very high level of purity for that drug.
- Judge Jeffery McLennan

“[It could] have been re-sold in streets deals for between $57,000 and $92,000,” Mr Ferguson said.

Judge McLennan said the high purity meant it could have been cut down to make 3,000 street deals.

“That's a lot of people ... that's a lot of people on ice,” he told the court.

“That's a lot of very damaged people in the community of Tamworth.

[It could] have been re-sold in streets deals for between $57,000 and $92,000.
- DPP solicitor Mark Ferguson

“He is a person with no previous convictions who in a moment of emotional weakness succumbed to temptation.”

Strike Force Buckhorn was set-up in May, last year, to investigate the supply of drugs and zeroed in on Kelly.

Tamworth Target Action Group (TAG) police used several surveillance measures to watch Kelly as he left Tamworth and went to St Marys in Sydney to collect the drugs.

In one car stop, he was caught by police carrying .22 calibre ammunition.

When police swooped again, Vanessa Kelly, the sister of the accused, was driving the silver Audi with her brother and were leaving a property on the New England Highway at Kootingal.

CONT -

http://www.northerndailyleader.com....ailed-after-90000-secret-ice-stash-uncovered/

 

[poledriver]

Python 'high on ice' sent to Sydney wildlife rehab

A python seized during a New South Wales drug raid was suffering the effects of ice, according to authorities.

NSW Corrective Services officers had to deal with the snake after it was seized during a raid.

It had absorbed methamphetamine through its skin while living in a drug lab and was showing visible signs of addiction.

The python was acting in a confused and erratic manner and behaving aggressively, a spokeswoman said today.

It has been taken to a Corrective Services-managed wildlife centre in Windsor in Sydney's north west for a six-week rehabilitation program.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...ent-to-nsw-wildlife-rehab#XSmMufme3pBDG1cc.99

 

[pleasehelpjeff]

I don't know where to ask so please forgive me if this is the wrong place but I want to know what causes meth mouth is it the way you take it or how long you use?

 

[poledriver]

Hi Jeff, check out -

http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/818800-Anything-I-should-know-before-trying-methamphetamine

and -

http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/807694-Methamphetamine-Discussion-Thread-4-0

Ask the same question in those threads and I am sure you will get some decent answers.

 

[poledriver]

Man’s car impounded for 28 days after police catch him towing huge water tank at Penfield Gardens

A MAN returned a positive drug test for methamphetamine after police caught him towing a large rainwater tank on a trailer that was secured to his car with just a single strap.
Police spotted the driver just before 5.30pm this afternoon at Penfield Gardens towing the rainwater tank along Robert Road.
Worried the tiny trailer was dangerously overloaded and not properly restrained, police pulled over the 28-year-old Elizabeth Park man and found he had a disqualified licence and his car was unregistered.

Police will allege the trailer had no numberplate, no indicators, brake lights or tail lights visible.
A short strap was used to keep the hitch and towbar tied together, and one of the tyres on the trailer was blown and on its rim.

The man was reported for various traffic offences including drive disqualified and unregistered, and his car has been impounded for 28 days.
The man’s positive drug result will be sent to Forensic Science SA for further testing.
He will appear in court at a later date.

http://www.news.com.au/national/sou...SF&utm_source=News.com.au&utm_medium=Facebook

 

[poledriver]

High school teachers charged with ice-related drug offences in Western Australia

Three high school staff members, including two teachers, have been charged with drug offences related to ice.

In an operation run over the past few weeks, detectives searched two homes in the town of Derby, in WA's far north Kimberley region, allegedly seizing drug paraphernalia and a small quantity of methamphetamine.

A woman and a man have each been charged with two counts of using a prohibited drug.

A third person, a woman aged in her 20s, has been charged with possessing drug paraphernalia and three counts of attempt to possess a prohibited drug.

The Education Department has confirmed all three are employees at Derby District High School.

The ABC understands at least two of those arrested are teachers who had been working at the school for several years.

Education Department probe launched

The Education Department declined to say whether the three staff members had been suspended or are still working at the school.

"The department is aware of three staff members who have been charged by police. The department's Standards and Integrity team is also looking into it," a statement from the department said.

The trio have been released on bail and are due to appear before the Derby Magistrates Court in coming weeks.

Police in the area have been kept busy over the last year trying to contain the spread of methamphetamine into the Kimberley town, which is 40 kilometres north of the main highway connecting Broome and the Northern Territory.

Earlier this year, Detective Sergeant Neil Vanderplank from Derby police station told the ABC his team had charged more than 100 people with 600 meth-related offences.

"Obviously we take a very proactive role in our drug investigations, and take a dim view on cannabis and meth use," he said.

"I know the entire agency in the Kimberley does their bit as best they can to stamp it out.

"In particular the young kids, with a couple of them I've seen and heard from their parents anecdotally that using drugs regularly has incited them into anger to rob their own parents at knife point to steal money to buy drugs."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-...rby-charged-with-ice-related-offences/8439914

 

[Jabberwocky]

Ice epidemic among white-collar workers

THE corporate world has been sucked into the country’s deadly ice epidemic with white-collar-workers now making up a quarter of all addicts who have lost complete control to the powerful street drug.

Experts now believe 25 per cent of Australian ice users are from professional industries — including those working in the health and medical industries.

It has left rehabilitation services flooded with calls for help with many forced to put desperate users on long waiting lists and leaving them to try and “white knuckle” their recovery until they can find a place for them.

Private rehabilitation specialists The Cabin Addiction Services Group have told The Saturday Telegraph they have been overwhelmed by the number of corporate high- flyers reaching out for help.

Cameron Brown, clinical director of their Sydney outpatient service, said they almost specifically catered to high functioning crystal methamphetamine addicts.

They have hefty waiting lists for their outpatient services in Sydney and Melbourne as well as their 28-day residential program in Thailand.

“The classic definition of an ice user isn’t what you see on the news,” Mr Brown said.

“We are seeing a lot of white collar workers and professionals where are suffer from ice addictions as well.

“There’s people in the corporate industry, in the health industry all sorts of industries

“Most of those people in the higher end jobs we find that the yardstick is no longer working, because they just haven’t been able to.

“Obviously these people are losing their jobs.”

A plethora of rehabilitation programs are reporting a huge spike in numbers for people struggling with addiction to ice in response to the nationwide epidemic.


Source: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...s/news-story/634e33141a300a09a1400f37e3e72657

 

[poledriver]

Victorian woman who killed ice addict with axe jailed for defensive homicide

Bonnie Sawyer-Thompson barely knew the man she hacked to death with an axe.

The then-19-year-old was in an ice-addled state when her abusive boyfriend, Phil Mifsud, ordered her to kill the victim.

He threatened to murder her family if she didn't carry out the monstrous crime.

She stabbed Jack Nankervis 70 times in her Morwell flat in June 2014.

Sawyer-Thompson was initially charged with murder, but the Director of Public Prosecutions later agreed she could plead guilty to the lesser charge of defensive homicide.

The charge was abolished shortly after the killing, making Sawyer-Thompson the last person in Victoria to be prosecuted under this law.

It was intended for women subjected to ongoing domestic violence who retaliate against their abusive partners.

This case was noted as unique and the most grave example of defensive homicide, as the threat did not emanate from the victim, but rather a person who was absent during the killing.

Mr Mifsud had left the home while Sawyer-Thompson’s attack on Mr Nankervis took place to ensure he had an alibi, but later reported the discovery of the victim's body.

He has never been charged.

The court heard he subjected Sawyer-Thompson to humiliation and violent abuse, including putting a gun to her head and forcing her to swallow bullets.

He had also previously injected her with drugs and put firecrackers down her top.

In sentencing at the Latrobe Valley Law Courts today, Justice Michael Croucher said Mr Mifsud’s influence on Sawyer-Thompson did not entirely mitigate her actions.

"Plainly she meant to kill him and she did,” Justice Croucher said.

“It was merciless, grisly and disturbing.

"Mr Nankervis was in a drug stupor and completely defenceless at the time."

Mr Nankervis' family wore green ribbons, his favourite colour, to court and wept as they heard the gruesome detail of his death.

His mother, Anna Nankervis, outside courts said it was a "disgrace" the defensive homicide charge was able to proceed.

Mrs Nankervis said and the past three years had been "horrific … you couldn't imagine.”

“You can't say your son died or passed away, you have to say he was murdered,” she said.

"He was one in a million, (I’ll) never get another Jack."

They stared at Sawyer-Thompson in the dock as she was sentenced to ten years’ jail.

With time already served, she could be eligible for parole in just four years.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...ed-for-defensive-homicide#XgqFEcvYtYiSMBcQ.99

 

[poledriver]

Ice addict handed lesser sentence for pleading guilty to murder of elderly war veteran

Jonathon Cooper stabbed an elderly war veteran to death, then stole his money and war medals.

Today, he was handed a significant discount on his sentence for pleading guilty to murder and for offering to testify against his co-accused Adam Williamson.

Ken Handford's distraught family was visibly gutted as Supreme Court Justice Jane Dixon sentenced Cooper to 16 years jail, with a minimum term of 13 years.

Armed with a knife, Cooper and Williamson broke into the 90-year old's-cottage in Springbank, Victoria, in September 2015.

Williamson believed Mr Handford kept up to $30,000 in cash on the premises, because he didn't trust banks.

The ice addicted criminals planned to rob the elderly man while he slept, but Cooper hit him with a torch while rummaging through his bedroom.

The court heard they then gagged and tied him up and under the misguided belief Mr Handford was a pedophile, Cooper stabbed him 13 times in the back.

In sentencing, Justice Jane Dixon reiterated, "He wasn't a pedophile, he was a decent, law abiding man."

The victim was left tied up on the floor, he died almost 5 hours after the attack.

The heartless thugs made off with almost $4000 in cash and jewellery.

Mr Handford's body was discovered on the day of his 90th birthday, the Judge noting "it should have been a day of celebration, instead it was a day marked by sadness."

If not for Cooper's guilty plea and offer to turn police informer, he would have been sentenced to 27 years behind bars.

- http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...er-of-elderly-war-veteran#3eiOtHqFdCCXbEBl.99

 

[poledriver]

Australian Federal Police

25 mins ·

We’re proud to say this is $119 million worth of pain and anguish that won’t hit our community.

Working with Australian Border Force, SA Police News and Victoria Police, we’ve arrested three men and seized 119kgs of Ice they allegedly had shipped into Australia.

We’re honoured to have worked with these outstanding agencies in order to achieve this for the Australian community.

#AusFedPolice #Ice

 

[Jabberwocky]

Three men linked to notorious bikie gang charged after 'trying to import $119 million worth of the drug ice from Australia to Malaysia'

Three Adelaide men believed to be linked to an outlaw motorcycle gang have been charged over importing $119 million worth of the drug ice into Australia.

Australian Federal Police say the 119kg haul of crystal methamphetamine arrived in Melbourne from Malaysia earlier this month, hidden in a stand designed to allow for the transport of commercial equipment.

Authorities also found about $1.5 million in cash in a similar consignment that was due to be exported from Australia to an undisclosed Asian country.

AFP says the drugs were discovered after 'anomalies' in the equipment delivery led Australian Border Force officials to inspect it.

Once seized, police replaced the drugs with substitute packages and began a controlled delivery of the equipment, watching as it travelled through Victoria to a large rural property in South Australia.

A 36-year-old from Paralowie was arrested there on Saturday after trying to access the drugs.

Another two men, a 33-year-old from Kilburn and 29-year-old from Smithfield, were arrested on the weekend over the importation.

The three men, who police say are connected to an SA-base outlaw motorcycle gang, are expected to face court on Monday charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.

AFP Commander and SA state manager Peter Sykora says outlaw motorcycle gangs are 'very sophisticated' in how they try to import drugs into Australia.

'They are very singular in their quest to make sure that this trade brings misery upon the community,' he said Adelaide on Monday.

'All they care for is the profits derived from their drugs and also the power that they get within their criminal element.'

He said the ice seizure had prevented one million individual hits reaching the streets.

The total quantity of illegal drugs and precursors seized in Australia this year now sits at 4.4 tonnes.

The commander said this operation involved close collaboration between AFP officers, SA and Victoria police and Australian Border Force officials.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ikie-gang-charged-import-119-million-ice.html

 

[Jabberwocky]

Three men linked to notorious bikie gang charged after 'trying to import $119 million worth of the drug ice from Australia to Malaysia'

Three Adelaide men believed to be linked to an outlaw motorcycle gang have been charged over importing $119 million worth of the drug ice into Australia.

Australian Federal Police say the 119kg haul of crystal methamphetamine arrived in Melbourne from Malaysia earlier this month, hidden in a stand designed to allow for the transport of commercial equipment.

Authorities also found about $1.5 million in cash in a similar consignment that was due to be exported from Australia to an undisclosed Asian country.

AFP says the drugs were discovered after 'anomalies' in the equipment delivery led Australian Border Force officials to inspect it.

Once seized, police replaced the drugs with substitute packages and began a controlled delivery of the equipment, watching as it travelled through Victoria to a large rural property in South Australia.

A 36-year-old from Paralowie was arrested there on Saturday after trying to access the drugs.

Another two men, a 33-year-old from Kilburn and 29-year-old from Smithfield, were arrested on the weekend over the importation.

The three men, who police say are connected to an SA-base outlaw motorcycle gang, are expected to face court on Monday charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.

AFP Commander and SA state manager Peter Sykora says outlaw motorcycle gangs are 'very sophisticated' in how they try to import drugs into Australia.

'They are very singular in their quest to make sure that this trade brings misery upon the community,' he said Adelaide on Monday.

'All they care for is the profits derived from their drugs and also the power that they get within their criminal element.'

He said the ice seizure had prevented one million individual hits reaching the streets.

The total quantity of illegal drugs and precursors seized in Australia this year now sits at 4.4 tonnes.

The commander said this operation involved close collaboration between AFP officers, SA and Victoria police and Australian Border Force officials.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ikie-gang-charged-import-119-million-ice.html

More pics

Video: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-24/three-sa-men-arrested-after-massive-ice-bust/8466982

 

[poledriver]

Drug operation even impresses judge

A Queensland Supreme Court judge has praised a drug dealer for his savvy business skills in running a methamphetamine operation.

Justice Ann Lyons yesterday told Brodie Gary Satterley that “it obviously wasn’t the best business, but it’s a good business model”.

The court heard that while dealing methamphetamine, he gave price guides, charged interest on debts and gave discounts and refunds in response to complaints.

He also sought customer feedback, provided utensils, advertised he was dealing a high-quality product and had business strategy meetings.

Justice Lyons sentenced the 20-year-old to three years’ jail with immediate parole, and encouraged him to starting using his talents for good instead of evil.

— read more in the Courier-Mail

 

[poledriver]

Perth father jailed over hammer attack on son

A 70-year-old Perth father of six has been jailed for five years and six months for attempting to kill his methamphetamine-addicted son by repeatedly striking his head with a hammer, fracturing his skull.

Ronald James McDonald attacked his son as he slept on the sofa at his Dianella home on the morning of August 15 last year.

He was frustrated and depressed by the 23-year-old's ongoing drug dependence and the family turmoil caused by his aggression and abusiveness.

The Supreme Court of WA heard McDonald was on good terms with his estranged wife, who lived with the victim and called him for help that day because their son had been screaming and threatening to smash things.

After pacing around outside thinking about what to do, McDonald went inside the house and hit his son on the temple with a claw hammer, then struck him three or four times more.

"You believed at the time that was the only option available to you and your family," Justice Katrina Banks-Smith said in handing down her sentence today.

"You felt you could no longer deal with your son's erratic behaviour. You lost it."

The son woke up after the first blow, but McDonald grabbed his jumper to prevent him escaping.

He managed to break free and was rushed to hospital while McDonald almost immediately called authorities and made admissions.

Justice Banks-Smith said McDonald's defence lawyer had eloquently described the case as the "other side of the methamphetamine equation".

She said while there was room for significant sympathy and empathy for the father's predicament - in which he was not alone - violence was not the answer.

Justice Banks-Smith took into account McDonald's depression, which impaired his ability to make rational decisions at the time of the offence, age, remorse and the risk of his re-offending being low.

She also noted the violence was uncharacteristic and the fact he had empathy for the victim, who partly blamed himself for what happened.

Justice Banks-Smith also mentioned a statement from a former employer, who described McDonald as a peacemaker.

But the offending was aggravated by the fact the attack was on a defenceless victim, involved multiple blows and a degree of premeditation, and could have been fatal.

"You could have stopped during the attack but you did not," she said.

McDonald waved goodbye to his family, who were present to support him, as he was led out of the dock.

He was made eligible for parole.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...-for-hammer-attack-on-son#werO3Ua2I07DH4iZ.99

 

[poledriver]

ce epidemic: Victorian Government announces $81 million to fight 'poisonous' drug

An extra 30 drug rehabilitation beds will be available for addicts languishing on public waiting lists as part of an $81 million Victorian Government plan to help ice-users.

Next week's state budget will also include $10 million to buy land to build three new residential treatment centres with a total of 60 beds in the Gippsland, Hume and Barwon regions.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the investment would take the number of publicly-funded drug rehab beds in Victoria from 250 to 340.

"So many people are in the clutches of this poison. It's destroying lives, it's wrecking families," he said.
"These investments will mean more beds for treatment, more staff to provide counselling and important support to those who are dealing with ice."

The funding for stage three of the Government's "ice action plan" also includes money to help people at risk of overdosing and to employ 34 Indigenous health workers.

Publicly-funded rehabilitation beds are in short supply and have months-long waiting lists, forcing desperate families to turn to unregulated private clinics that charge a fortune.

Plans for private centres in suburban Geelong and Shepparton have also been knocked-back by councils in the face of staunch public opposition.

Mental Health Minister Martin Foley urged people in regional areas to support drug rehab clinics.

"Frankly what we can't do is have ill-advised community opposition to what are community facilities," he said.
'It's a solution for some but not necessarily for others'

The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association's budget submission called for 300 beds over five years to bring Victoria into line with other states, citing anecdotal reports of a six-month wait for access.

But chief executive Sam Biondo said the extra funding was welcome.

"Any increase is better than nothing," he said.

"Beds aren't everything. It's a solution for some but not necessarily for others."

Former drug user turned welfare worker Daniel Timms spent most of his 20s addicted to heroin and ice and lost his partner to an overdose.

He said the lengthy wait for treatment meant some people could walk away from getting help.

"You might be feeling like you want to get your life together one day, but you can change your mind within 24 hours," he said.

Last year 257 people died of an overdose involving illicit drugs in Victoria.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-...Organic&WT.tsrc=Facebook_Organic&sf74396972=1

 

[Jabberwocky]

Is methamp use common in the mining industry I wonder?