Hard drugs swamping Australia
Pastor Dale Morgan
Hard drugs swamping Australia*
June 13, 2008 11:56am
Article from: AAP
HEROIN border detections are the highest on record and cocaine seizures
have increased by 1300 per cent, according to a national crime report.
Australian Crime Commission chief executive Alastair Milroy said more
than 82,000 people were arrested for drug offences during the period
July 2006 to June 2007.
"The data that we have confirmed the Australian heroin market primarily
is supplied from the golden triangle in South-East Asia, that's our
primary data results,'' Mr Milroy said.
"The greater level of co-operation, the greater emphasis on intelligence
collection has led to the significant seizures both at the border and
off shore.''
India had become a "key embarkation point".
Mr Milroy said traffickers were resorting to "scatter'' importations
through air cargo and postal streams "as law enforcement bodies continue
to detect large quantities of cocaine and heroin at the border''.
The report found the number of "amphetamine-type stimulant seizures" at
Australia's borders had increased by 25 per cent.
"In 2006-2007, the total weight of cocaine seizures nationally increased
by around 1300 per cent, the total number of seizures increased by 68
per cent and national cocaine arrests increased by more than 75 per
cent," Mr Milroy said.
He said the number of clandestine drug laboratories detected in
Australia continued to increase.