15 May 2015 – Authors: Lorna Knowles and Rebecca Armitage – Source: ABC News
The number of amphetamine arrests across Australia has almost doubled in the past five years, as crime authorities warn they have never seen any substance as destructive as crystal methylamphetamine, or ice.
The Australian Crime Commission (ACC) said police made a record 26,269 amphetamine arrests in 2013-14, up from 13,914 in 2009-10.
ACC chief executive Chris Dawson said methylamphetamine was wreaking havoc in every state and territory, ruining lives, families and communities.
“In my 38 years in law enforcement, I have never seen a substance as destructive as methylamphetamine, particularly crystal methylamphetamine,” Mr Dawson said.
“We are now seeing demand for methylamphetamine in areas where the drug has not previously been a significant issue.
“This includes urban and rural areas and disadvantaged communities where it is having a destructive impact.”
The new arrest figures form part of the Crime Commission’s 2013-14 Illicit Drug Data Report.
Drug facts in 2013-14
- Queensland recorded three times the number of clandestine laboratory detections than any other state or territory, with 340 labs found
- Almost 60 per cent of illicit drugs seized nationally were seized in Victoria
- The Northern Territory recorded the highest street price for ice, with users willing to pay up to $1,600 for one gram.
The report, released on Friday, combined data from police, health services and academia to provide a snapshot of the nation’s illegal drug market.
It revealed more than 740 clandestine laboratories used to make amphetamines were detected around the country, 340 of them in Queensland.
The report said the number of clandestine labs detected nationally had increased by 95 per cent over the past decade.
Most labs were found in suburban areas, with increases in rural and vehicle detections.
The majority of labs were run by addicts, but last year there was an increase in the proportion of small-scale, medium-sized and industrial-scale labs.
And police seized a record 10 tonnes of the chemical benzaldehyde, which could have been used to produce up to 4.5 tonnes of methylamphetamine, equating to an estimated 45 million street deals with a value of $3.6 billion.
The number of detections of amphetamines at the Australian border were also the highest on record, with 2,367 detections in 2013-14.
Minister for Justice Michael Keenan said ice posed the highest risk of all illicit drugs to the community because of the violent, menacing and irrational way people behave under its influence.
The Federal Government’s National Ice Taskforce, formed to tackle the ice epidemic, began community consultation on Thursday in Mount Gambier, South Australia.
Australia’s drug trade at all-time high
The Illicit Drug Data Report said there were more than 93,000 illicit drug seizures, 27 tonnes of drugs seized and more than 110,000 arrests in 2013-14. All figures are the highest on record.
Cannabis continued to dominate the Australian drug market, with 66,684 arrests and 7,000 kilograms of the drug seized.
The report said while the methylamphetamine market was the primary concern for authorities, there were also a number of records reported across other drug markets, including the number of cannabis and hallucinogen arrests, opioid seizures and cocaine and steroid arrests and seizures.
Mr Dawson said serious and organised criminals were at the centre of the Australian illicit drug market.
“Motivated by greed and power, many of these groups and individuals use the illicit drug market as their primary income stream, profiting from the misery illicit drugs inflict on the nation,” he said.
