Cat and Mouse Game !

The cops have good reason to be crowing about their recent drug busts.  A succession of spectacular swoops have netted drugs destined for the Australian drug scene that would have enriched the drug gangs with billion dollar profits.  Of course, the value they bring on Australian streets is a huge multiple of the cost of procurement on the overseas drug markets, but it still represents a very big loss to the finances of the drug cartels.

It seems that these successes are bringing about a change of plan.   The cartels are steering away from attempts to evade customs with big shipments and have turned to using Australia Post to "dribble "small amounts scattered over the vast array of parcel and letter post entering the country.   It is now estimated that 94% of Cocaine and 86% of Methamphetamine imports are using this form of entry.

It is the "scattergun  "approach.   The cartels know that sniffer dogs and clever customs investigators will discover some drugs hidden in a range of disguises, but there is every expectation that a big percentage will evade the searchers.   The sheer volume of inward mail puts the probability of success on the side of the cartels.

In the past, drug "mules "were another preferred way of getting drugs past customs.  In many cases, these mules were addicted drug users and the incentive for trying their hand by either bringing in drugs secreted in their luggage - or carrying drugs sealed in condoms and swallowed - was a portion of the drugs involved as payment.  Failure could bring death, if a condom ruptured or the drug was detected in a country with the death penalty for drug possession - or a long prison term if they were caught here in Australia.

The methodology has changed.  The cartels are now adept at persuading total strangers to do them a small favour by delivering an innocent item to a friend here in Australia, and in the vast number of such instances that stranger is totally unaware that drugs are concealed - and they are being used as a drug courier.    They particularly prey on the elderly.   Customs would be least suspicious of a grandmother returning from a trip to Asia with the usual mementos and gifts to distribute to friends and family.

It is fast changing into a cat and mouse game.  There is no doubt that busts of big drug shipments have hurt the cartel's finances badly - and these people are professionals.   This is organized crime and big money is involved.  They will do "whatever it takes "to keep the supply of drugs moving and that can involve bribe money or even murder to remove obstacles.

We have seen how this form of corruption has completely changed the nature of law enforcement in some overseas countries.  In Mexico whole cities have fallen under a "Narco regime "and even the police have become agents of the gangs.   The core elements of this dilemma are already present in Australia where rival motorcycle gangs have a major part in drug distribution and openly fight one another with guns on the streets of Sydney.

The other troubling aspect - is the changing nature of the drugs favoured by the public.  Marijuana is still the most popular drug and it's effects are similar to alcohol.   Heroin used to be what was considered the "most dangerous "drug and it was responsible for many "overdose "deaths, but again it was not known to cause dangerous aggression.  It was usually the cause of incidents of "break, enter and steal "-as common burglary was known - as addicts sought finance to feed their addiction.

Today, the fastest growing illicit drug is "Ice ".    It is highly addictive and relatively cheap - and it causes users to become violently aggressive.   Police making arrests testify to the strength it seems to give users and the ferocity of their struggle to avoid arrest.  In many cases, capsicum spray is simply ignored and it takes the efforts of multiple officers to bring the addict under control.   Many of the unprovoked attacks on city streets are thought to be Ice induced.

The big question is - what comes next ?

People with degrees in chemistry and rank amateurs  vie to combine chemicals to achieve the "high "that customers demand - and the more addictive the drug the better.   Inevitably, there will be a drug that enters the market and supersedes Ice and it may be something fairly innocuous that has been tweaked to give it new properties.  In many cases, these new drugs circumvent the law because they are a combination of legal ingredients.   They only become illegal once their characteristics become known and a law is passed to make them a banned substance.

It is a war we are destined never to win.   As long as the demand for "party drugs "continues to exist, the huge money to be made by those taking the risks to supply will ensure that all obstacles are overcome.    The best we can hope for is continued success in the "cat and mouse "game that keeps organized crime within reasonable limits.

What has happened overseas in many other countries is a chilling foretaste of what failure could bring !