Meth Blog
Its March video month at MethMinder
Get informed and view the selection below .Dont forget to view others on this site as well. For more information contact methminder on info@methminder.co.nz or NZ 0800638464
Ready made meth available on the streets of Thailand, its called Yaba and its on our streets already.
In this form it’s most likely not as pure as some and purity is thought to go hand in hand with addiction. However all meth is dangerous. It all destroys in the end.
You don’t have to go far to find Meth and it’s easy to make.
Meth can blow your socks off
This video is a tongue in check skit on making meth, however the end result can be just as destructive.
P – Meth a social plague
5 Feb 2010
Methamphetamine, known as simply P in NZ , is one of the most devastating substances out there. It affects not just the users and their families, but the neighbourhood, the environment and indeed the entire community. In fact, it’s affecting yours right now whether you know it or not. But we can all make a difference by knowing what to watch for and what to do.
Perhaps someone you care about is struggling with this drug and you want to learn more. Or maybe you’re ready to intervene.
Hope starts today ! Let this video, Meth a social plague be the tool to help you do that.
This is a very good, short documentary video, by Joel Smith out of Colorado USA.
Much of the information is transferable to the New Zealand situation. This video used to be on our home page, under our blog, however if you missed it there then here it is again. I would encourage you to pass this on to friends, family work mates etc. Simply send them to www.methminder.co.nz and go to our blog and look for P, Meth a social plague on 5 Feb 2010 or they can phone Geoff Dye at MethMinder on 09-638-464 for more information.
P labs, P, Meth, Meth Labs, Ice
4 Feb 2010
P labs,P, meth,meth labs, ice etc are just a tiny sample of the many street names given to the powerfully addictive synthetic drug Methamphetamine.
The manufacture of this drug has been around for over 35 years in the USA and in NZ now for near on 14 years. However in that comparatively short time the purity and uptake of the drug in NZ now matches that of the USA.
There are differences in the preferred method of manufacture between the two countries; however, the results are the same. Regrettably these differences are often overlooked. Many news paper articles describe what to look for as an indication of a P lab, say in a rental property and they may be describing what may be applicable in the USA but not here in NZ. There is a danger of this misinformation leading to complacency.
Also the cost of the drug in NZ is much higher than the USA; there is no reason for this, apart from supply and demand. The fact that it does fetch a high price is a two edged sword. It limits exposure to minors but attracts participants in to the manufacturing as well.
There are other differences between the two countries. NZ P is almost entirely manufactured in small home labs, most often rentals and motels, even for major crime syndicates. Although in the USA they have many thousands of home labs, they also have super labs that either manufacture in Mexico or within the country itself. In NZ, the over the counter smerfing (obtaining pseudoephedrine legitimately, a little at a time from many sources) is usually limited to the small time cooks. Organised crime syndicates tend to import the main base chemicals, called precursors, to manufacture P. The imported pseudoephedrine or ephedrine is often sourced from China as Contact NT, a legal cold and flu drug in that country, however a banned substance in NZ.
For more information go to www.methminder.co.nz
The proliferation of P Labs
2 Feb 2010
We all know by now, Meth Labs (P Labs in NZ ) can spring up anywhere. The most common places are in rental properties or motels. We should also be aware, that the posh parts of town are not exempt. In fact, they are fast becoming the preferred locations for making Meth. The Meth labs busts in Auckland over the last 6 months have been predominantly in affluent areas of town. P labs have been found in some of the best streets in the idyllic Eastern Beach suburbs of Howick and Bucklands Beach and even to the top streets of Remuera which must rate amongst the most affluent in the country.
The meth cooks are all too aware that appearances mean a great deal. To give the perception that a property is inhabited by, say, a successful couple or family, is all part of the subterfuge of normality. What better place to make meth than in the leafy streets of the wealthy, or in rental holiday homes, or for that matter your rental apartment? If you own an apartment, you should be aware that your property could be devalued by the actions of another land lord, or tenant, manufacturing Meth in any of the other apartments. Remember when renting or purchasing a new house check the LIM, PIM and Property Files held by the local city council to see if it has ever been a listed P lab and don’t forget there are countless other properties changing hands all the time, that have never been listed as a P lab. Always ask the property manager or land lord if the property has ever been used to manufacture meth (P). Get the property tested for meth (p) contamination as part of the property inspection report.
Police warn of big increase in organised crime
27 Jan 2010
Police have been calling for an investigation into organised crime since 2003. So they undertook their own investigation. What they uncovered using the limited resources at their disposal has been described by the police association as frightening.
It has long been the trend for organised crime to progress from the back streets to the best. From a purely illegal operation to legitimate business, through which they can launder profits and find increasing opportunities to influence manipulate and corrupt.
For years the police and community have been calling for a crack down on meth (P) as the worst drug to hit New Zealand. For years we have been told from those with only a limited prospective that Alcohol is the major concern and that meth is fare less of a problem. Well of course in one sense they are correct, alcohol is the most prolific drug in NZ and is the causes of much misery, suffering and death. For the vast majority however it is harmless and can even have some health benefits if used sparingly.
The impact meth has on society however is totally negative. The reach it has into the wider community is unparalleled. It has the ability to totally destroy users quicker than most could imagine, wreck family’s, bankrupt business, destroy property usually third party rentals, motels etc, over load the health system, the courts and police. In fact the list could go on and on. The proliferation on Meth is largely the cause behind the increase of crime in general and violent crime in particular.
Meth, although much smaller in uptake compared to alcohol is advancing relentlessly, ridding on the back of well organised, well resourced crime syndicates. The profits available through manufacturing meth are unparalleled; the meth trade is simply a licence to print money, such wealth always has the ability to corrupt right to the very highest levels of society and into ever institution of influence. In fact this relentless push into these areas, is essential to appease the unquenchable lust for power and wealth that rules the criminal world.
Smugglers of P changing to scatter gun approach
23 Jan 2010
The ‘P’ problems in NZ have now been around for over 13 years. In that time, the local market has been able to achieve, in quality and distribution networks, what had take over 25 years to produce in the USA. In the earliest days, the police highlighted the issue and pleaded for resources to be made available to fight the problem. Sadly, those in a position to help failed to listen for near on a decade before they implemented specific measures in 2003. However it was another example of far too little too late. By 2003, almost every polititian acknowledged that ‘P’ had become a huge problem but still preferred rhetoric to action. It took a new Government under John Key to implement a substantial range of measures to address the ‘P’ problem now at epidemic proportions.
The new initiatives are a start (See John Key on P Video within this blog) however the issue of contaminated ex P-labs changing hands was not addressed at all, presumably because it is still largely misunderstood at the top levels. This is in spite of the fact that a Govt working group, The Clandestine Drug Lab Program, asked the Office of Environmental Health to review Clan Lab (P Lab) hazards and issue appropriate Clean up Guide-lines for site remediation, to insure the health of future occupants. Finally, in 2008, the Ministry of Health issued a 118 page draft only proposal called Site Remediation of Clandestine Methamphetamine Laboratories. As at Jan 2010, this document has not been finalised. One can only assume that the required resources were not supplied. Should it ever be released it will be as a guide only to remediation. Presumably this is to cater for variations in cooking methods. The up shot of all this procrastination is that many, many more contaminated properties are on the market than need be, placing the health of unsuspecting folk, especially that of small children, at risk.
P Labs are found in the best of streets
21 Jan 2010
It comes as know surprise that a P lab was found in one of Auckland’s most exclusive streets. Those that understand the Meth trade, have long known that ‘P’ street name for (Methamphetamine ) can and is made in the most exclusive suburbs to the least. ‘P’ is manufactured in beach homes, apartments, family homes, all types of rentals, lockups, motels, hotels, even boats and campervans.
For so long the general NZ public have believed the urban myth that ‘P’ is used by the down and out and cooked in a seedy warehouses some place on the other side of the tracks. Nothing could be further from the truth. ‘P’ is so easy to make and is immensely profitable. For this reason much of the trade is controlled one way or another by organised crime. These gropes can afford and will go to extraordinary lengths to manufacture and conceal there operations. Even to the extent coercion of home owners or tenants to use their properties in which to manufacture ‘P’. They will even put up what appears to be a family (rent a family) as the front face of a tenancy agreement. Because 48 hrs notice has to be given for an inspection, the property can be tided away and the principle tenant available to make every thing look normal.
It is also conceivable for organised crime to set them selves up as a bona -fide property Management Company. Any one can do this, because as it stands, there are absolutely no licensing requirements required for property management. Such a company could then very effectively cover the ‘P’ manufacturing process within their client’s rental properties and move them around almost at will covering the evidence. Already many organised ‘P’ cooks manufacture various stages of the process at different locations, to minimize detection. In this way the number of properties that become contaminated could be multiplied three fold.
It must be remembered that a property can look and smell pristine and yet be thoroughly contaminated. Relying on, visual stains or smell, or even rubbish to identify a property as a working or ex -P lab is simply not credible, only the very small opportunist cooks who are usually addicts would fall into this category. They only way to know for sure if a property you are about to rent or purchase is to have a property tested, or the property has been monitored with a Meth detection device for the duration of a tenancy. Such devices are very effective at deterring ‘P’ cooks due to there detection and active monitoring capabilities. Read More
Property contamination alert
10 Jan 2010
Looking for a house to buy or rent. Beware, was the property ever used to manufacture Meth (P)
The preferred location to make meth (P) is in rental properties, hotels and motels, However they can be set up any place, from the most exclusive areas of town to a farmers back shed.
Organised cooks often have multiple properties in which they manufacture Meth, they will often move from one to another at various stages of the process, so as to minimise exposure and detection. However every stage introduces extremely toxic chemicals into the property, thus multiplying the number of properties contaminated significantly.
Properties that have been officially identified by police as P -labs, are usually the only ones that receive any remediation attention. Police usually inform the local councils, they in turn may issue a cleaning order. This means that there are possibly countless properties changing hands which are contaminated and endangering future occupants health. Even if a cleansing order is issued, there are no standards in place to which the property must be remediated. It’s simply a mind field. Read more >
P ingredients busted
29 October 2009
A woman has been caught in Wellington importing 2kg of ephedrine which police say could have been used as an ingredient in $500,000 worth of methamphetamine.
P-Labs added to Councils toxic timebomb list
25 October 2009
Hundreds of homeowners (& tennants) could be living on a toxic timebomb as officials struggle to track down land contaminated by industrial waste and methaphetamine production.
Identifying and checking toxic sites is the responsibility of regional councils and most already have an impressive list – a Selected Land Use Register (SLUR) – of sites which could be contaminated. Old P-labs are being added by some councils.
This means that as Councils put these sites on a register that owners (landlords) won’t be able to hide.
John Key on “War on P”
22 October 2009
John Key explains the governments rationale behind limiting the sale of methamphetamine precursors (ingredients). The article includes some interesting statistics about the decrease in P labs in the USA when this policy was introduced. VIDEO »
ABC News : Meth busting machine in NZ
29 September 2009
Anti drug authorities in Australia will be watching closely to see how well a new device developed in New Zealand works in the fight against methamphetamines. More »
Radio NZ : Landlords welcome P alarm
Audio from Morning Report on 29 Sep 2009
Landlords are welcoming a new device which sends off an alert if a rental property is being used to manufacture methamphetamine. Listen here »
P-lab discovered in Birkdale
22 September 2009
Two men are facing charges after police found a P-lab in the Auckland suburb of Birkdale this morning. More »
World’s most dangerous drug
This National Geographic clip explains the science behind the addictive nature of meth and why it is the worlds most dangerous drug. Methamphetamines affect the brain in numerous ways. Essentially the drug tricks the brain into thinking that extra dopamine (the chemical key to human pleasure) is released. Eventually, this overstimulation leads to the brain shutting down.
P-lab in exclusive rental
10 July 2009
A bust in an exclusive rental property in Bucklands Beach yesterday highlights labs for manufacturing pure meth are being uncovered in unlikely locations. It was the third lab discovered in the eastern suburbs in the past month. More >>
P-lab demolished
A Housing NZ house in Napier which was used as a methamphetamine laboratory had to be demolished because its interior was significantly contaminated, and the costs to decontaminate the P-house were greater than demolition.
The house had been cleaned before Nicholas Powell, of Forensic and Industrial Science Ltd did tests on the interior, but he found meth residues still remained from the heavily impregnated walls and ceilings in the kitchen and an adjacent bedroom.
Dr Powell gave Housing NZ two options in his forensic report. The first was to completely ventilate the house for three days before stripping and removing all contaminated wall linings, ceilings, windows and surrounds, doors and flooring. The work would have to be done in full protective clothing under the supervision of an experienced scientist and the removed materials safely disposed of. All above-ground wastewater pipes would have to be removed and any contaminated soil below and around the house removed.
The second option was to demolish the house, which was the choice made by Housing New Zealand.
Thanks to The New Zealand Herald
Landlord who refused testing embarrassed
14 August 2009
A reluctant landlord was made to look foolish when The Manawatu Standard paid for tests – tests that he refused to fund – and proved that his rental had been used as a P-Lab. More »
P-Labs don’t always smell like cat pee
Reports from both US and local test agencies have identified meth labs in properties that to the naked eye (and nose) have been in pristine condition.
It’s not uncommon for a P cooking area to be masked up with plastic sheeting. However this is primarily to ensure that tell-tail residue stains do not appear on bench tops and the like. The vapours produced by the methamphetamine cooking process, however, cannot be prevented from permeating throughout the property and contaminating it.
Some hope for better regulation
10 July 2009
The Health Dept is proposing to release comprehensive guidelines for councils to follow when ordering testing and decontamination of clandestine lab (clan lab) sites. Regrettably this is of little comfort to those who purchase or rent an unidentified ex P-lab home.
The Department of Building has also released a directive covering landlord’s obligations.
