Police lose drugs and fail to stop "dealing"

The police's failure to protect samples and confiscated material stored at its forensics science laboratory in Pretoria had resulted in the theft of drugs worth an estimated R50m on the street, the DA said on Wednesday. (from News24))

MEMBERS of the police and the legal fraternity are up in arms because prominent drug dealers are walking free out of the courts. Magistrates in the regional and district courts are at loggerheads with each other due to this situation. (from the Paarl Post)

District Court Magistrates refuse to hear matters relating to drug dealers, as they are of the opinion that certain sections of the law do not give them the necessary jurisdiction to do so. The Chief Magistrate in Cape Town has advised the District Magistrates that it is possible for them to hear evidence and pass stringent sentences in these matters, however the magistrates still refuse to do so.

Instead they refer these cases to the Regional Court, where here too magistrates refuse to fill up their already backlogged case loads, maintaining that the District Court Magistrates can settle these matters.

A magistrate recently refused to hear the case of three prominent drug dealers who were found with drugs worth R96 000 in their possession.

The accused were prepared to plead guilty, but the magistrate instead transferred the matter to the Regional Court and the matter has now been postponed

And on 27 January, when an accused wanted to plead guilty after having been arrested with 96 kilograms of dagga in his possession, the District Magistrate again instructed that the case be transferred to the Regional Court.

These cases are often struck from the roll and drug dealers are then free to get back to business.

Drugs continue to flow into Cape Town...

A woman suspected of being a drug mule has been arrested for allegedly carrying drugs valued at about R1.6 million at the Cape Town International Airport, Western Cape police said on Thursday. (from IOL)

Inspector November Filander said the 26-year-old woman was arrested on Wednesday after a tip-off that she would be flying from Johannesburg to Cape Town in the late afternoon.

On searching her luggage, police found 4.5kg of tik hidden in cereal boxes.

In another incident a man was caught for carrying drugs on a bus.

"Police were tipped off about a 25-year-old Somalian national travelling in a luxury bus from Beaufort West towards Bellville on the N1 freeway," Filander said.

Flying squad police pulled off the bus at a petrol station where they positively identified the man they were looking for and searched his suitcases.

An illegal drug kat, valued at R10 000, was found inside one of the suitcases.

These tip-offs. Who makes them? It's not the caring public... it's the competition!

Keeping drugs illegal leads to police corruption

Two Western Cape policemen were arrested on Thursday for alleged corruption related to drug dealing and the unlawful release of suspects, police said. (from IOL)

Superintendent Andre Traut said the two were attached to the province's crime fighting unit.

"A 30-year-old Grassy Park constable suspected of tipping drug lords off prior to envisaged operations in return for a payment, was arrested first.

"The Hawks then proceeded to arrest a Fish Hoek inspector, 38, who was arrested in connection with allegations of unauthorised release of suspects without processing the necessary documents," Traut said.

The two were charged with corruption and defeating the ends of justice.

They will appear in the Simonstown Magistrate's Court on Friday.

England tackles it's drinking problems

England tackles it's drinking problems. Pub and club promotions that encourage binge drinking will be banned within months in a government retreat from its policy of liberalising licensing laws. (from the Timesonline)

Licensees face fines of up to £20,000 or up to six months in jail for offers such as “All you can drink for £10” or “Free drinks for women under 25”.

Today’s announcement of a tougher code of practice is an admission that reforms allowing 24-hour drinking have failed to produce what the former minister Hazel Blears described as a “continental café-bar culture”. Instead, ministers have acted amid rising public concern at the extent of public drunkenness and alcohol-fuelled disorder on the streets. Labour’s private polling has revealed that the issue is an increasing worry for voters.

Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, said: “Alcohol-related crime costs the UK billions of pounds every year and while the vast majority of retailers are responsible, a minority continue to run irresponsible promotions.”

Speed-drinking games and “dentist’s chairs” — where alcohol is poured directly into the mouths of customers — will also be banned.

Pubs and clubs will have to provide free tap water to customers and be required to ask for the identity of anyone who looks under 18.

The code will force licensed premises to offer wine in small 125ml glasses as well as the more common 250ml measure. The larger measures of wine have been blamed for increasing drunkenness among women. Pub and club owners will also have to offer small beer and spirit measures.

Ministers have, however, backed down from banning supermarket bulk buys, which have led police to complain that alcohol is being sold for less than bottled water. The mandatory code also avoids an outright end to “happy hours” where drinks are sold cheaply for a certain period of time. Instead, local authorities will have wider powers from the end of this month to impose a ban on happy hours in individual pubs.

Where do you get weed from in Cape Town in December: The Cop "Shop"

A police station commander has been arrested for stealing 18 bags of dagga from the evidence stores of her own station, and then using a police van to transport it to drug dealers, with the help of a constable who is on the run.

And in another case involving police officers, a constable has been arrested for attempted murder and armed robbery.

The Independent Complaints Directorate is investigating both cases, which took place in the Cape Peninsula.

Police spokesman Frederick van Wyk would not be drawn on the arrests, saying the cases had been transferred to the ICD.

The station commander, a 44-year-old female superintendent, was expected to appear in the Somerset West Magistrate's Court today on charges of theft, fraud, dealing in dagga and defeating the ends of justice.

She was arrested on Wednesday after allegedly stealing 18 large bags of dagga from the evidence stores, police spokesman André Traut said. - The Star

Cops root out Rasta garden

Cape Town police have confiscated the contents of a Rastafarian front garden that was grown for smoking rather than pretty flowers.

Inspector Nkosikho Mzuku, spokesman for the Ocean View station, said police were looking for a suspect in the area on Wednesday morning.

In an informal settlement that he described as a "Rasta camp", the police noticed dagga plants of varying sizes growing in flower beds around the front of one shack.

The plants were screened from a nearby road by a wooden fence.

Police removed a total of 750 plants, worth about R5 000, from the beds.

A woman and three men, aged between 36 and 42, were arrested and would appear in the Simonstown Magistrate's Court on Thursday, on charges of possessing dagga.

All four were Rastas, he said. - Sapa

SAB - who's guarding the hen house, who's watching the foxes?

A key component of SAB’s business is its logistics network and distribution capabilities. As a company committed to customer service, productivity and empowerment, SAB is one of only a few companies that can deliver its products to any area in South Africa within 24 hours of an order being placed. (from SAB)

The Owner-Driver programme was founded with the introduction of a pilot project in the Western Cape in 1987. Today, this project accounts for more than half of all SAB Ltd's deliveries through some 260 companies, operating more than 460 vehicles. Each of these businesses employs at least four people. As a result this R530-million per annum project has provided at least 2300 jobs and created 280 independent businesses. (from Financial Mail)

Using a network of 42 depots and 12 distributors, the company's products are distributed to about 25 000 points of sale across the country. More than half this distribution is done through independent distributors called owner-drivers.

It's estimated that there are 265 000 points of sale for beer in SA. Of these, SAB estimates that 74% are operating without a licence. Using Soweto as an example, SAB estimates that of 1 500 outlets, only 355 are licensed. Legally, SAB is prohibited from supplying these illegal outlets - shebeens - directly. To do so would be putting the company's licence to trade at risk.

To get beer to consumers in the townships, an entrepreneurial independent distribution network sprang up many years ago. SAB sells its products to legal retailers, and to a lesser extent to legal wholesalers, usually in rural areas. Wholesalers can sell to only licensed retail outlets. The independent retail distributors (IRDs) sell to shebeens. IRDs, or bootleggers, vary in size from one-man operations with a wheelbarrow to organised fleets of bakkies.

Who is ensuring that the owner drivers are playing by the rules and delivering only to licenced outlets? Apparently no one. Who is watching/stopping the illegal actions of the IRD's? No one. These folks are moving the bulk of SAB's product from the legal licenced sellers to the illegal and no one cares to do anything about it.

SAB produces 93% of the country's alcohol (down from 98% in 2007).

74% of shebeens are unlicenced.

82% of SAB's alcohol sold in illegal shebeens if permit-operating shebeens are included. (Only 18% is sold legally)

SAB’s liquor is bought from licensed wholesalers such as Makro or Trading Centres and liquor stores by individuals who buy in bulk to illegally trade it in shebeens.

The owner-drivers are responsible for the delivery of the liquor to licensed and permit-operating businesses countrywide. This market consists of licensed restaurants, wholesalers, liquor stores, taverns and shebeens with permits. Wholesalers and liquor stores sell liquor in large quantities to individuals. Some of these individuals operate illegal shebeens which actually retail 82% of SAB’s products. The Soweto depot supplies Soweto, Eldorado, Kliptown, Lolli and surrounding suburbs. These townships consume about 62 222 cases per day (twelve bottles in each case)

Licensed taverns and shebeens operating with permits are assisted by SAB to brand their enterprises, with names imprinted on the background of one of SAB’s alcohol beverages. For instance, SAB places a board outside each client’s enterprise, displaying the name of the shebeen or tavern on the background of one of SAB’s beers such as Carling Black Label or Castle Lager. These enterprises are also given fridges, chairs and other materials to facilitate their growth. By giving the taverners fridges, the quality of the product is assured and enhanced, as their liquor is served cold. The provision of chairs and glasses enhances the quality of the tavern or shebeen, as customers are able to enjoy their favourite beer sitting comfortably on chairs and drinking out of branded beer glasses. There are, however, conditions that come with SAB’s ‘free’ gifts. Taverners and shebeeners are told that the fridges are only to be used for SAB’s products. If any other company’s brand is found in the fridge, SAB will immediately confiscate the fridge. There are other rules attached to these fridges. They have to be packed according to a particular order. For example, a Black Label branded fridge should feature that beer on the top shelf, followed by other brands on the other shelves.

The shebeeners are assigned a sales representative by SAB, who teaches them how to pack the fridge and other business skills necessary for running a successful operation. The fridge has to be placed where customers can see the beers in the fridge. Thus, the fridge has to face the customer. These rules on how to display and pack the fridge have to do with the power of advertising.

The price of beer is recommended by South African Breweries. For instance, at the time of writing SAB’s recommended price for Black Label was R6.50. The taverners and shebeeners are not forced to sell the brand at this price. Most charge R7.00 to R7.50. SAB has created incentives for adopting the recommended beer prices and other recommendations drafted especially for taverns and shebeens. For instance, the provision of chairs, tablecloths and glasses is dependent on following SAB’s recommendations, including selling beer at the recommended price. (Making Visible the Invisible research for the Dept of Labour)

The government knows that the wholesalers are selling alcohol for illegal resale. SAB are providing a sales representative, training, the fridges, the tables, the chairs, the table cloths, the signage out the front, the glasses and the beer. Any wonder that there are 200000 illegal shebeens across the country? Is anyone watching? Does anyone care?

Rugby tackles drinking culture

In the past few weeks all 12 clubs in the top tier have put their players through Drink IQ, a programme that provides plenty of information to digest for all who drink, but especially for members of sports clubs. “Coming into the festive season, the time of partying and merriment, is a good time to reinforce the messages,” says Phil Winstanley. (from The TimesOnline)

The project is run by Diageo, the drinks manufacturer. Er, hang on. Is a producer of alcoholic drinks (including Guinness, which sponsors the league) really the best choice for the job of informing people about the dangers of drinking? Winstanley says that independent psychiatric consultants endorsed the scheme, which began as part of in-house training for Diageo employees but was then rolled out in Australia, most notably to the Wallabies, the national rugby team.

Legal drugs? Drug Prohibition's unintended consequences

Prohibiting drugs has not worked. Not only has it not worked, but the unintended consequences have been deadly. Because of the prohibition a drugs arms race has developed. Newer (still legal for now) drugs are emerging and are being developed. Legal highs as they are known in the UK have been the subject of controversy. Examples of legal highs are GBL (a derivative of GHB), mephedrone (the miaow drug) synthetic cannabinoids, which are sprayed on herbal smoking products, and chemicals such as BZP (Benzylpiperazine), part of the piperazine family of stimulants that are an alternative to amphetamine. (from the Telegraph)

Governments wishing drugs away is not making the drugs go away. The prohibition of each drug drives the market for legal drugs to the next drug to be developed. This is insanity. The policy leads to people self experimenting with "still legal" drugs which are far more dangerous than the traditional illicit ones.

The new UK law dealing with legal highs has angered experts who argue that the legislation does not go far enough because it does not ban other party drugs such as mephedrone. The drug has already been outlawed in some countries, including Sweden, Israel and the US, where it has been linked with a string of deaths.

Only refining legal drugs could have more dire consequences. Scientists in Russia have reduced alcohol to a powder. Just add water and drink. (from the Times of India)

The Cure is worse than the Problem

The South African Police have shot a man accused of smoking cannabis while fleeing arrest. (from the DA)

The number of deaths attributable to the regular inhalation of cannabis is ZERO. South Africa does not keep statistics of cannabis deaths, so American statistics will have to do. If cannabis were legal Kgothatso Ndobe's (21) death would not have happened, so instantly the law prohibiting cannabis has taken more lives than cannabis itself. It's not the first time this year either. The cure is worse than the problem.

The 1996 National Drug Master Plan required the state investigate the decriminalisation of cannabis. In 2004 the South African Cannabis Position Paper was produced, but never released. The question of decriminalisation was dropped in the 2006 National Drug Master Plan. The 2006 National Drug Master Plan incredibly makes no mention of the 2004 Position Paper. The South Africa Cannabis position paper is available here.

The South Africa Cannabis Position Paper is a disgrace. When is something dangerous? When is something harmful? How many people has cannabis killed? The SA Position Paper is pseudo-scientific. It is better to ignore an inconvenient truth than do a proper investigation for the truth? The South Africa Police aerial eradication programme failed to get a mention in the paper, which is sad considering the environmental damage they wreak by spraying Roundup from their helicopters donated by the US DEA.

The South African Cannabis Position paper cherry picks facts and uses quotes out of context. The Canadian Senate Paper is heavily relied on through out the paper, however the SA Paper misrepresents their position which was to legalise and control cannabis like cigarettes.

The medical cannabis phenomenon whereby cannabis is prescribed for medical conditions in America is ignored, while the therapeutic effects and benefits of cannabis are down-played in the SA Paper.

Cannabis consumption entails a small chance of schizophrenia. How many? 1 in 5000.

South Africa is including cannabis cultivation in the agricultural portion of it's GDP calculation. How the crop and value are to be guessed at is not stated.

Poker-faced prohibition has left the Western Cape with a horrendous drug consumption result. 10% do tik, 10% smoke cannabis and the rest are drinking. It's not working and it's time for a change in direction.

"Alcohol remains the primary drug of abuse in South Africa." (2006 NDMP) From 1998 to 2006 average consumption doubled from 10 litres per annum to 20 litres. Less than 50% of people dying non-natural deaths in South Africa are dying sober and that rate is consistent year on year. The Western Cape government has shown some political will to deal with the alcohol industry. All alcohol comes from a handful of producers and ends up being sold illegally. The "control" of the alcohol industry has left a lot to be desired, as have the actions of the alcohol producers. FAS started climbing in the late 1990's and is over 10% in some areas. Interestingly the WAY "we" bringe drink in the Western Cape is particularly conducive to creating FAS children. What rights does a child have and does it include not being born retarded? Why is it not yet illegal to knowingly serve alcohol to a pregnant woman? There are no good answers when you consider these questions in the context locking adults up for smoking a safe cannabis joint.

Prohibition has clearly not worked in South Africa. Consumption is UP. Consumption amongst children is UP. Children are prohibitionists first port of call. "For the children!" they cry. That prohibition ends up handing all illicit drug manufacture and sales to a criminal underworld which sells to these same children does not enter the mind. Drug arrests are up year on year in the Western Cape. Is this actually "success"? Have the people who were arrested stopped taking those drugs? Thousands of citizens now have criminal records and now unemployable. Is this "success"? There are in excess of 600 000 illicit drug consumers in Cape Town (at least). Which prison is big enough to hold all these people?

As much as each drug is different the law regulating that drug needs to be different. Treating methamphetamines the same as magic mushrooms or lsd is stupid. The law needs to be rational. The law needs to be based on the harm that the various drugs do, rather than "because I say so". Adults are responsible for their actions and are doing drugs. The drugs are not ruining their lives. The law and the courts are. The time has come to regulate the drug industry and to set the police free to concentrate on violent crime. Abolishing criminal penalties for possession and consumption of drugs does not neccesarily mean higher rates of consumption. Portugal's 8 year experience teaches otherwise.

With drugs honesty comes FIRST.

Cannabis infinitely SAFER than alcohol... So why drive people to drink?

Cannabis is SAFER than alcohol.

Number of cannabis deaths in South Africa from the inhalation of cannabis = ZERO.

2005 NIMSS - National non-natural deaths
50.6% of those violently killed were drunk (with an average blood alcohol content of 0.15)
61% of drivers killed and tested were drunk (with a BAC of 0.17 - twice the legal limit!)
50% of pedestrians killed and tested were on average three times the legal limit (BAC 2.0)
Incredibly 22% of cyclists killed and tested were drunk too (BAC of 0.25!!!!! )
Only 52.38% of the deceased who were tested died sober.

2004 NIMSS - National
54% of those violently killed and tested had an average BAC of 0.17
52% of those killed in transport collisions were inebriated.
Almost exactly half the non-natural deaths were sober while the other half were inebriated

2004 NIMSS Cape Town - Cape Town is worse than the rest of the country.
58.5% of those violently killed and tested were drunk
65% of pedestrians killed and tested had an average BAC of 2.0
57.3% of people killed in transport accidents and tested were drunk - with an average BAC of 1.8.
Only 46.3% of deceased persons tested died sober.

Alcohol plays a role in over half the non-natural deaths in Cape Town, yet the government continues to drive people to drink.

Cannabis is SAFER than Alcohol. Choosing Cannabis ahead of Alcohol is what RATIONAL people do: they choose the less harmful, less dangerous alternative. Why is a rational debate not possible? Why does the state not allow access to safer alternatives to alcohol?

The Decriminalisation Cop Out - Better to Legalise and Control

Decriminalisation or Legalisation? Which is better?

Decriminalisation is a "policy" decision to not enforce certain laws and makes for bad law. Decriminalisation does not address the supply of the drugs or attempt to reduce demand through sin tax measures. Decriminalisation is an admission that prohibition (the current law) has failed and the costs associated with busting and jailing every drug user is too high. Decriminalisation replaces a failed policy with one of looking the other way. The law itself is not changed, so the opportunity for graft is enormous with police extracting "on the spot fines" to look the other way. As decriminalisation is a policy decision it is subject to immediate change by the policy setters of the day. Decriminalisation as a policy has worked - in Portugal for instance, but it is the poor cousin to legalisation.

Legalisation means a change in the law regulating and controlling the various drugs. Each drug is different and as such requires a different control regime. Trying to control cannabis like alcohol or tik is unrealistic. Legalisation of certain drugs does not mean that those drugs should or will be freely available. The point of legalisation is to control the industry from production, to distribution, to tax, to consumption. Legalisation controls the age from which a person may purchase and consume a drug, while decriminalisation does not. Legalisation will always be harder to do. It requires new and innovative thinking. It requires an understanding of each of the drugs and how different they are from production through to the effect the person feels. The allure of tik to disenfranchised persons sitting in a shack.... which when you smoke it makes you feel invincible and like Superman... is massive. The health consequences are also massive and tik will change that person's personality. They NEED medical help, but they will not get it while they are on the "outside". Each drug has it's time and place: tik's place is in a trench in the middle of a war staying awake after 36 hours of fighting or flying a kamikaze plane into an aircraft carrier's deck. Since we're not at war or intentionally flying jets into the ground tik should be locked in the Pharmacist's safe!

Drugs - Why?

Imagine your mind to be a mansion. You haven't been everywhere in it. Apparently we only regularly use a small portion of our brains. We are used to the kitchen, the living room, the bedroom, the toilet.... There is another wing of the mansion. It is upstairs. Yes you have to get high to go there. Now the rooms upstairs are wildly different to the ones downstairs. Upstairs there is A BAR, the wild nightclub room with music and flashing lights, a gym, a meditation room, a library, a jacuzzi, a medical clinic, a psychologist's practice, a sushi bar, a prison cell and a teleporter. Sure you can live life sober every moment of every day, but that means you never get to see any of the other places in the mansion. Once you accept alcohol is just another room upstairs you will realise that there is a time and a place for each and every drug. Only the lies told and government propaganda stops us from seeing this. Drugs are not good or bad - they just are. I am guessing that you will hear a lot of emotive language used against the use of drugs. Repeat those phrases and ask - Why should emotive language be such a ready substitute for clear thinking and facts? (PS the teleporter is DMT)

Alcohol NOT all powerful. Addicts can successfully cut down consumption

Top addiction experts now say that many drinkers can evaluate their habits and -- using new knowledge about genetic and behavioral risks of addiction -- change those habits if necessary. Even some people who have what are now termed alcohol-use disorders, they add, can cut back on consumption before it disrupts education, ruins careers and damages health. (from the LA Times)

In short, say some of the nation's leading scientists studying substance abuse, humans travel a long road before they become powerless over alcohol -- and most never reach that point.

"From what we know from scientific studies, there are some very clear things that can be done," Dr. Mark Willenbring, director of treatment and recovery research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says. "But people don't ordinarily think of looking to science for how to improve drinking problems."

Alcohol leads to violence. Drunk driver assaults police.

A motorist has been arrested with two of his passengers after two traffic officers were assaulted while trying to arrest the man for suspected drink driving. (from IOL)

It is expected they will appear in the Somerset West Magistrate's Court tomorrow.

The two officers pulled the car over on the R102 near Macassar because it was overloaded. Three men and two women were in the car.

A woman traffic officer talked to the driver and suspected he was drunk, said provincial traffic department spokesman Xenophone Wentzel.

The officer tested the man and found he was over the legal limit. When she tried to arrest him, he swore at her and she called another officer to help her. When the male officer came to the car, the driver slapped the woman officer and then hit the male officer in the face.

The woman officer was unhurt, but the other officer was taken to hospital for stitches to a cut beneath his eye.