Get tough with drug pushers

Dr John Coulter with his column from the Irish Daily Star which featured on 22 July 2013.


Hang the scum! The time has come to get tough with convicted drug pushers who are poisoning our community with their evil trade. Thailand has the right attitude to convicted dealers – let them dangle at the end of a rope!

And all their assets should be seized and ploughed into the health service which is already at breaking point trying to deal with the fall-out from the latest batch of killer tabs.

Polish criminals based in Dublin have been using their dissident republican and rogue loyalist contacts to flood the North with more than 20,000 killer E-tabs which have claimed the lives of 10 young people, a well-informed church source told me last night.

And the source warned that the death toll could rise amid fears that mainstream loyalists are ready to break their ceasefires and go to war against the dealers.

 The source has been counselling some of the young people affected by the killer tabs and said that 'serious meetings among loyalist paramilitaries have been taking place at the highest echelons' to discuss what has to be done. He said:

The three types of drugs are coming from dissident republicans based in Dublin to rogue elements connected to loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland, but the real source of the drugs is believed to be Polish criminals who are passing them to the dissidents.

There are three types of tab coming out of Dublin – White Ghosts which came in before Christmas; Double Cherries which came in at Christmas, and Green Rolexes which came in in the last few weeks.

The dosage of each has been stronger and the idea is to get the people hooked on the White Ghosts, then they need the Double Cherries, and then they want the Green Rolexes. With each type of tab, the potency level is increased, but now with this latter batch they have gone too far.

It is estimated there are now more than 20,000 of these tabs in Northern Ireland. The UVF and UDA have both told me that they are being distributed by rogue elements who feel disenfranchised, and some are not even in their organisations.

The well-placed source said 10 people had died so far from the deadly pills, including one alleged dealer. He claimed quite a few people had been already admitted to hospital. He added:

While there are more than 20,000 of these tabs still around, many are being dumped. I just hope they are being placed in drugs bins to stop young children getting their hands on them.

There are 10 people dead at the minute, but there could be more. It is an absolute nightmare as I don't know why these tabs are affecting some people and not others. The leaderships of the various paramilitary groups in loyalism are in serious meetings. They are very worried and the ceasefires could be in jeopardy. Some people could end up in a skip if any people are caught dealing.

I would be annoyed at politicians trying to claim credit for combating this situation when they don't deserve it.

My own sources spoke to the PSNI after the second death and warned them of the links.

The casualty units at hospitals are at breaking point because people who took the tabs are walking in, totally petrified, and claiming they are unwell. There is real anger among the loyalist paramilitary leaderships which I have not seen since the loyalist feuds of a few years ago. They are gunning for someone, but they will do a thorough investigation before they take action. There have been allegations that one of the dealers was a community worker who was caught with three grand from selling drugs.

The clock is ticking. Face reality TDs and MLAs, we need the rope as soon as possible.

7 comments:

  1. The IRA had no problem accepting the financial proceeds from drugs consumed by young Americans. The Whitey Bulger trial gets more interesting by the day.
    I hope the irish American community will campaign vigorously for the release of Bradley Manning. There is a better chance of Liverpool winning the prem in the next decade ! Still, they sold 50,000 tickets for the Aviva in 10 minutes.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is abit lengthy so done in two parts. I remember Thailand’s government death squads, the sanctioned shooting sprees killing both addicts and dealers. I was working in an injecting centre and I looked out at our diverse clientele of all sectors of society using under our watchful eyes and asked meself did this death squad approach in Thailand serve any purpose? Yes a pointless one - solely to put on a floorshow to the world and to Thai that there was a war on drugs… It changed nothing because individuals will always gravitate towards experimental usage &/or abuse of drugs both licit and illicit… especially when you are young.
    It was a mindless, hideous massacre.

    All who go to injecting centres are exposed to and respond to harm minimisation, harm reduction approach, learn safe using practices and about safe sex practices, what services are on offer to detox, rehab and such. There is non judgemental approach. Do individuals bang up tabs you ask – yep more than u would think. Some do it UYB – up yer bum. The truth is John Coulter there will always be death on a proportion of young individuals from drug usage or experimentation. Just reality – dance with the drugs & yer in a Russian roulette.

    The ULTIMATE noose to knock back distribution of illicit is taking the market value out of them. Take the market value out of them. Failure to legalise/regulate illicit to be administered to those who are addicted or sell it regulated (yes that’s right John – sell the shit regulated because how boring would it be to say I am going to the clinic to buy me one tab to get off me face). Not as enticing as saying meet me such and such a place – it’s all on – I’ve scored and got…. Blah blah blah And on the way to buy your puny, regulated but SAFE DOSAGE tab you will pass the old addicts unfortunate enuf to be still on methadone aka liquid handcuffs and others who are on bupre and they will all say this is ball and chain bullshit… And drugs just ain’t gonna have that rad,cool ring - It will be glaringly pathetic.

    Failure to educate children at very young ages not just on drugs and risktaking behaviour possible, outcomes but also NB failure to educate them on empowerment – that their worth as a person is there. There is such a gormless approach to illicit drug use How can you say to kids living in the projects aka run down impoverished housing estates – don’t abuse illicit when we all know full well it will be the only bit of sunshine that is gonna come their way if there are no viable alternatives meeting their needs. There are reasons why kids and older abuse illicit - lots of ignored, VALID reasons and ALSO sometimes shit happens – an experimental usage is a fatal. How can we get all moralistic and hysterical over illicit drugs and turn a blind eye to alcohol and its deadly impact when it is abused? SOCIETAL HYPOCRISY.

    ReplyDelete
  3. . There is an old saying in addiction treatment – don’t swop the witch for the bitch – meaning don’t give up illicit and then find yourself sucking addictively on a licit (alcohol).
    The most important tools in educating are not highly qualified specialists – they are the young themselves who are well able to take the role of educator and be role models. You don’t need a degree to do that – you could be illiterate and still be a powerful force for educating your peers. When you were young did you really listen when some old fart said don’t do that – it be dangerous – you could die. I guess a strait laced, old stick like u did listen Well I for one didn’t.
    The danger element was half the buzz. Hell it sounded like it was worth a try whenever someone said that to me… espically if it was illicit And that is reality! You think you is invincible when you is young…

    NB It doesn’t matter who is dealing a loyalist, a dissident – I hate that wanky word, ultimately they are both small fry. Anyone can do standovers, take someone out… it goes with illicit drug territory but they remain SMALL FRY. Clock in and smell the reality. The Mr Bigs are governments, corrupt police – high up the ranks, customs and so on. Dublin is like a base and it all spirals out from there. We are in a different drug usage era now where designer drugs cut across all sectors of society and are affordable…NB The drugs that are around today are way more fatal/complex and diabolical than opiates for example.. The chemical compounds – non organic, non monitored nor standardised and responses are always unpredictable… esp with tabs, shrooms, crystal meth, etc ad finitum. As I write this I know some bastard chemist is cooking up poison or a homebake job is going down somewhere in the projects and the stuff will hit the streets and for sure people will die. If the noose belongs to anyone it be the Mr Bigs not the small fry. Decriminalise using and watch the stats drop. Legalise and regulate the drugs – watch the stats drop. You wanna kick the Mr Bigs in the balls – take the market value down, down, down. Movie you need to watch. Get it on dvd It is THE BEST covers all age groups & types of addiction. It is so dammed realistic. They should show it in schools imo. 13 years up and just fast forward the short, realistic hawking your fork for drugs part in it. Trailer to it
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzk-lmU4KZ4

    This is an (ANTI) using song (very well known in aus, new Zealand & south Africa) I never met an addict who didn’t get the message from this song… Addiction/using is a hanging tree Hate dialogue is the dynamics struggle in the mind of the addict. Haight st. where the scoring goes down etc Pig & hose is needle and spoon (banging up gear) It is a searingly accurate song on the futility of addiction/vicious circle and the SMALL FRY world of dealers.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNcIzQk5bEY
    Don’t be writing USELESS emotive shit (ie) ‘Hang the scum’ when you know full well it ain’t gonna provide a path to solution. Ireland’s children will continue to die from drug OD’s as long as the noose is directed at small fry and the market value soars on illicit.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Having probs posting response on ur blog. Last try. Apologies if multiples of the same have gone thru. This is lengthy/tome done in between doing writeups. John you could have addressed the tragic deaths and the illicit drug trade far better than you did. How the hell is noosing up a few gonna prevent further deaths... I remember Thailand’s government death squads, the sanctioned shooting sprees killing both addicts and dealers. I was working in an injecting centre and I looked out at our diverse clientele of all sectors of society using under our watchful eyes and asked meself did this death squad approach in Thailand serve any purpose? Yes a pointless one - solely to put on a floorshow to the world and to Thai that there was a war on drugs… It changed nothing because individuals will always gravitate towards experimental usage &/or abuse of drugs both licit and illicit… especially when you are young. It was a mindless, hideous massacre. All who go to injecting centres are exposed to and respond to harm minimisation, harm reduction approach, learn safe using practices and about safe sex practices, what services are on offer to detox, rehab and such. There is non judgemental approach. Do individuals bang up tabs you ask – yep more than u would think. Some do it UYB – up yer bum. The truth is John Coulter there will always be death on a proportion of young individuals from drug usage or experimentation. Just reality – dance with the drugs & yer in a Russian roulette.

    The ULTIMATE noose to knock back distribution of illicit is taking the market value out of them. Take the market value out of them. Failure to legalise/regulate illicit to be administered to those who are addicted or sell it regulated (yes that’s right John – sell the shit regulated because how boring would it be to say I am going to the clinic to buy me one tab to get off me face). Not as enticing as saying meet me such and such a place – it’s all on – I’ve scored and got…. Blah blah blah And on the way to buy your puny, regulated but SAFE DOSAGE tab you will pass the old addicts unfortunate enuf to be still on methadone aka liquid handcuffs and others who are on bupre and they will all say this is ball and chain bullshit… And drugs just ain’t gonna have that rad,cool ring - It will be glaringly pathetic.

    Failure to educate children at very young ages not just on drugs and risktaking behaviour possible, outcomes but also NB failure to educate them on empowerment – that their worth as a person is there. There is such a gormless approach to illicit drug use How can you say to kids living in the projects aka run down impoverished housing estates – don’t abuse illicit when we all know full well it will be the only bit of sunshine that is gonna come their way if there are no viable alternatives meeting their needs. There are reasons why kids and older abuse illicit - lots of ignored, VALID reasons and ALSO sometimes shit happens – an experimental usage is a fatal. How can we get all moralistic and hysterical over illicit drugs and turn a blind eye to alcohol and its deadly impact when it is abused? SOCIETAL HYPOCRISY. There is an old saying in addiction treatment – don’t swop the witch for the bitch – meaning don’t give up illicit and then find yourself sucking addictively on a licit (alcohol).

    ReplyDelete
  5. The most important tools in educating are not highly qualified specialists – they are the young themselves who are well able to take the role of educator and be role models. You don’t need a degree to do that – you could be illiterate and still be a powerful force for educating your peers. When you were young did you really listen when some old fart said don’t do that – it be dangerous – you could die. I guess a strait laced, old stick like u did listen Well I for one didn’t.
    The danger element was half the buzz. Hell it sounded like it was worth a try whenever someone said that to me… espically if it was illicit And that is reality! You think you is invincible when you is young…

    NB COPON It doesn’t matter who is dealing a loyalist, a dissident – I hate that wanky word, ultimately they are both small fry. Anyone can do standovers, take someone out… it goes with illicit drug territory but they remain SMALL FRY. Clock in and smell the reality. The Mr Bigs are governments, corrupt police – high up the ranks, customs and so on. Dublin is like a base and it all spirals out from there. We are in a different drug usage era now where designer drugs cut across all sectors of society and are affordable…NB The drugs that are around today are way more fatal/complex and diabolical than opiates for example.. The chemical compounds – non organic, non monitored nor standardised and responses are always unpredictable… esp with tabs, shrooms, crystal meth, etc ad finitum. As I write this I know some bastard chemist is cooking up poison or a homebake job is going down somewhere in the projects and the stuff will hit the streets and for sure people will die. If the noose belongs to anyone it be the Mr Bigs not the small fry. Decriminalise using and watch the stats drop. Legalise and regulate the drugs – watch the stats drop. You wanna kick the Mr Bigs in the balls – take the market value down, down, down. Movie you need to watch. Get it on dvd It is THE BEST covers all age groups & types of addiction. It is so dammed realistic. They should show it in schools imo. 13 years up and just fast forward the short, realistic hawking your fork for drugs part in it. Trailer to it
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzk-lmU4KZ4

    This is an (ANTI) using song (very well known in aus, new Zealand & south Africa) I never met an addict who didn’t get the message from this song… Addiction/using is a hanging tree Hate dialogue is the dynamics struggle in the mind of the addict. Haight st. where the scoring goes down etc Pig & hose is needle and spoon (banging up gear) It is a searingly accurate song on the futility of addiction/vicious circle and the SMALL FRY world of dealers.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNcIzQk5bEY
    Don’t be writing USELESS emotive shit (ie) ‘Hang the scum’ when you know full well it ain’t gonna provide a path to solution. Ireland’s children will continue to die from drug OD’s as long as the noose is directed at small fry and the market value soars on illicit.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Loyalist paramilitaries have been up to their gills in drugs for decades but of course when their fellow loyalists start dropping like proverbial flies it has to be them pesky fenians from Dublin and Poland. A Catholic conspiracy and from no finer a source than a protestant religious figure. Couldn't have dreamt that up better myself John. More PLEASE I'm loving it. And the loyalists are going to break their ceasefires...to shoot drug dealers...can't breath for laughter at this stage!! Help lol. Keep the supply flooding into them hun areas, its great. Big bash at the Linfield supporters club tonight wee lad!!

    Mary

    I was teaching in Bangkok shortly after the Thai police went on a cull of alleged drug dealers and the common perception among people living there was the police had to be reigned in because they went on the rampage shooting not just drug dealers but criminals they had beefs with or simply were unable to secure convictions against. They simply murdered them under the guise of a clampdown on drugs gangs. So police seem to be dodgy everywhere.

    Are GPs not really glorified drug dealers? All they seem to do all day is sign prescriptions for tablets. Just a thought.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Are GPs not really glorified drug dealers? All they seem to do all day is sign prescriptions for tablets.

    And some of the biggest junkies Larry.

    John take a leaf out of President Jose Mujica's book and legalize marijuana. Part money made from the sale's/taxes (includes the 25,000+ by products such as paper, rope, oil's...) etc can be used to send the back street Alchemist's who are making Rolex E tabs to university and train them to become qualified chemist's. They already have a knack for mixing powder's..

    As for the people already importing drug's illegally, they could simply set up buisness agreements with South American farmers (who by the looks of things will be allowed to grow legally.. ) They already have the trade routes and contact's...and either sell marijuana or like i said use the by products..

    Take's the criminality away..people are employed. Even recently Dr. Sanjay Gupta CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Governments have lied about weed......

    ReplyDelete