Whangarei police say there has been an influx of the illegal drug Ecstasy in the city and have serious concerns about "parasites" supplying the drug to young females for free. Whangarei and Kaipara Police Area Controller Paul Dimery said there had been a recent influx of the illegal drug Ecstasy - a so-called party drug - into the region and he is concerned that parasites are preying on youth. Mr Dimery said organised crime syndicates - gangs - were behind the distribution of the drug and he appealed for anybody with information about the drug to get in touch with police straight away.
"Ecstasy is one of the preferred drugs of sexual predators. We want to stop it before it becomes embedded and we end up with young girls raped or sexually assaulted," he said. "We have got school kids coming to us telling us about [Ecstasy's availability in the town]. They are telling us about its effects and the prices and how easy it is to get and we are really concerned about it. It's just not the type of drug we want to see."
Mr Dimery said Ecstasy was known as the "love drug" because it reduced inhibitions."You don't have to be a brain surgeon as to the motivation why these young ladies are being supplied with this type of drug for free," he said.
"So there are some quite sinister connotations there. It is now time for people to stop acting like an ostrich and putting their head in the sand. It's happening and people are aware of it. Our youth want to be heard ..."
Whangarei 21-year-old John, not his real name, said Ecstasy is readily available in Whangarei and sold for between $40 and $60 a tablet. John said he's concerned about the drug's availability and the way it is being given to young women in the city. "It's out there everywhere. You see it on the town on a Friday night, but if there's a concert or a dance party on it's very easy to get," John said. "Everybody my age knows somebody who can get it. "There are guys going down to Auckland and bringing big bagfuls back up and it's spread out from there."
John said he was aware of girls being given the drug by "sleazy" older men and he was worried that they could then be taken advantage of. The influx of the drug has even seen people approach girls on the street in broad daylight. Whangarei police Sergeant Jo Rouse said between 8.30am and 9.30am on Thursday a man approached two girls, believed to be aged about 16, at the Rose St bus station.
Ms Rouse said the man asked the girls if they liked partying and drugs and alcohol "and if they wanted to party with him for the day". She said the conversation had sinister undertones and urged anybody approached in the street over drugs to contact police straight away on 4304500 or by calling 0800 CRIMEBUSTERS.
). Besides irresponsible users deserve to be taken advantage of, because mixing neurotoxic diuretic with possibly neurotoxic stimulant is asking for trouble and some regrettable sex is least of his or her worries.
