A 27-year-old man, believed to be using his company to facilitate the illegal importation of chemicals used in the production of methylamphetamine (ice) with a street value of $52.8 million, will face Sydney Central Local Court today. The AFP arrested the man when he arrived in Sydney yesterday on a flight from Thailand. He is the fifth man charged in relation to the seizure of 662 kilograms of pseudoephedrine in Sydney last week as part of an AFP, Customs and NSW Crime Commission operation. (Continued..)

Source: Law Fuel / 19 Aug 2008 /
http://lawfuel.com/show-release.asp?ID=1905

Police in cooperation with the Provincial Narcotics Agency (BNP) and City Narcotics Agency (BNK) raided houses on JL. Menteng Tenggulun and Jl. Pegangsaan in Central Jakarta, on Tuesday morning. Police arrested a total of 17 people and confiscated drugs, including heroin and crystal methampethamine, BNP head of narcotics control unit Adj. Sr. Comr. Sigit Gumantyo told reporters. "The heroin and white crystal prove that the drugs (Continued..)

Source: Jakarta Post / 19 Aug 2008 /
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/08/20/two-drug-hot-spots-raided-17-arrested.html

New Zealand’s newest private rehabilitation clinic to treat addicts opens in Auckland on Monday Serenity Clinic to cope with rising addiction. Serenity Clinic spokesman Murdoch, his only given name, says the treatment facility is opening next week because of a growing need in New Zealand. ``We haven’t officially opened yet but we are getting strong client inquiries daily and we already have a number of clients who have booked in via our website: www.serenitynz.com. (Continued..)

Source: Scoop Independent News / 21 Aug 2008 /
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0808/S00100.htm

Project lets citizens tip off PDEA on drug pushers via SMS

You can now tip off law enforcers on illegal drug activitites just by texting, under the Text Cast Project launched on Thursday by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). Smart Communications Inc. will PDEA the technology and hardware for the project free of charge, under an agreement it signed with the agency on Thursday at the PDEA headquarters in Quezon City. PDEA director general Dionisio Santiago hopes to see other telecommunications support the campaign against illegal drugs. (Continued..)

Source: GMA News / 21 Aug 2008 /
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/115275/Project-lets-citizens-tip-off-PDEA-on-drug-pushers-via-SMS

Korea’s time-honored claim as a ``drug-free’’ country is no longer true as the number of drug offenders passed 10,000 last year on growing demand from locals and foreign nationals here. Diverse and hidden distribution channels, ubiquitous Internet access and a growing influx of foreign laborers from states lenient on drug consumption have combined to boost illegal drug use. However, police are cutting back on manpower and organizations handling drug-related crimes. (Continued..)

Source: Korea Times / 24 Aug 2008 /
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/08/117_29873.html
 

Police seized more than 1.7 million speed pills and arrested five suspected drug traffickers in separate operations in Muang and Mae Sai districts yesterday. The drugs haul is worth an estimated 500 million baht. Provincial police chief Pol Maj-Gen Detnarong Suthicharnbancha said police acted on information that a large shipment of methamphetamine pills was hidden on a 10-wheel truck carrying corn and travelling in the company of a pick-up truck from Mae Sai district. (Continued..)

Source: Bangkok Post / 25 Aug 2008 /
http://www.bangkokpost.com/250808_News/25Aug2008_news05.php

While smuggling of narcotics from India to Sri Lanka continues, the city continues to be a preferred transit point for smugglers headed for China via Singapore and Malaysia. Chennai has become a transit point for contraband smuggling. It has excellent air connectivity with the south-east Asian countries from where the drugs can easily be taken to China. Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata airports have started monitoring the movement of passengers, especially those from south-east Asian countries. (Continued..)

Source: Times of India / 25 Aug 2008 /
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chennai/Chennai_is_transit_point_for_smugglers_to_China/articleshow/3400818.cms

Prevalence rates of HIV among IDUs in China are more than two out of three in some venues. Risk factors include longer duration of IDU and needle sharing. Also associated with HIV were factors that may indicate some success in education in higher risk persons, such as higher knowledge. A systemic community-level intervention with respect to evidenced-based, population-level interventions to stem the spread of HIV from IDU in China should include needle exchange, (Continued..)

Source: Harm Reduction Journal 2008, 5:29 / 25 Aug 2008 /
http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/5/1/29