Pubdate: Sat, 20 Jan 2001 Source: National Post (Canada) Copyright: 2001 Southam Inc. Contact: 300 - 1450 Don Mills Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3R5 Fax: (416) 442-2209 Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/ Forum: http://forums.canada.com/~nationalpost Author: Stewart Bell EASY ACCESS TO CHEMICALS FUELS DRUG TRADE: RCMP Ecstasy Most Popular Clandestine labs that produce trendy party drugs such as Ecstasy and methamphetamine are flourishing in Canada due to the lack of government regulation over the sale of chemicals, according to an RCMP intelligence report. The chemical ingredients used to manufacture illicit designer drugs are openly available in Canada and sales have increased as the popularity of the tablets has grown among youth, says the report released under the Access to Information Act. Because Canada lacks legislation controlling the sale of chemicals, U.S. crime syndicates have been coming north to buy their ingredients from Canadian distributors, the report says. In some cases, they also manufacture the drugs here before shipping them back to the United States. "Of concern are the increasing reports of suspicious purchases of chemical precursors," the report says. "The popularity of synthetic drugs, notably Ecstasy, is growing. Demands for the precursors required to manufacture these substances is increasingly accordingly." The report says if Canada brought in regulations to control the sale of the chemical ingredients used to make such designer drugs as Ecstasy and PCP, it would be easier for police to detect secret drug labs and take action against them and their suppliers. "The domestic purchase and sale of chemical precursors are not regulated in Canada. As a result, traffickers are able to purchase the ingredients openly from legitimate distributors," it says. "Regulations pertaining to the sale of precursors would justify police measures when irregularities occur. Regulations would also foster a greater co-operation between police and legitimate chemical distributors and assist in developing a more proactive approach to the detection of clandestine laboratory operations." Ecstasy, which the report describes as the "preferred chemical drug among adolescents and young adults," is manufactured in Canada by outlaw motorcycle gangs, particularly in Quebec, attracted by the huge profits. A tablet that costs 50c to make sells for up to $40. Sixteen deaths in Ontario alone have been attributed to the drug since 1999. But most of the Ecstasy consumed in Canada is imported from Belgium and the Netherlands. Last year, 1.5 million pills were seized by Canadian customs agents, up from 400,000 in 1999, 70,000 in 1998 and 10,000 in 1997, the report said. "Foreign criminal groups with counterparts in Canada and the U.S. import from Europe large single shipments by air freight or multi-kilo shipments by courier," it says. The smuggling is done by bikers and Asian gangs. American Ecstasy couriers use Canada as a transit point, the report says; they fly to Montreal and Toronto from Europe and then travel by land to the United States. One of the largest Ecstasy seizures in Canada took place in Montreal last month when more than 200,000 tablets with a street value of $7-million were discovered hidden aboard a German ship. The illicit cargo was destined for a Toronto textiles company. The report says PCP, used mainly in Quebec, is manufactured by bikers in Quebec City, while methamphetamines are found mostly in the West. Also popular is GHB, a date rape drug popular at all-night dance parties called raves. "Police expect the demand for this substance will increase considerably in the near future." The report, dated Dec. 6, was written by the RCMP's Criminal Intelligence Directorate in Ottawa. - --- MAP posted-by: GD