1300 DRUGSAFE 
April was just another month…and yet we managed to find a daily supply of drug related media articles indicating that drugs – and in particular Ice – are a rapidly growing problem in society.
The final week of April looked like this –
A 30 year man pleaded guilty to numerous charges when he drove two young children, lost control of the vehicle and put their lives at risk, after smoking a quantity of Ice.
A Wollongong woman awaiting sentencing on drug supply charges was arrested with an amount of amphetamines in her possession and syringes.
A 34 year old Whyalla man was charged with drug trafficking after police pulled him over for a traffic offence and found methamphetamines and a large amount of cash inside.
A former Bondi cafe owner charged with allegedly importing $360,000,000 worth of cocaine – the biggest haul in Australian history – wants to be bailed to the Home of his bikini model former lover.
A Wetherill Park drug investigation led to the arrest of two men and seizure of $100,000 worth of heroin.
A 44 year old man was charged with allegedly dealing in methamphetamines and having a stolen boat in his possession.
The money launderer for an Asian methamphetamine cartel based in Perth who helped to siphon $29,000,000 in drug money out of Australia is jailed for 10 years.
A high profile Brisbane restauranteur is charged with cocaine trafficking.
Sunshine Coast police say a one year surveillance netted them 19 arrests, charges on 106 alleged offences and seizure of $520,000 in drugs.
QLD police have broken a ‘sophisticated network of crime’ with the seizure of $750,000 worth of Ice and cocaine in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Police say they are powerless to shut down pubs and night clubs awash with drugs and have to watch as drug parties continue inside…because the Liquor Control Reform Act only applies to alcohol and not drugs.
Three South Australian men have been charged with possessing $119,000,000 worth of Ice.
A man who drove a stolen Porsche Cayenne at speeds of 150 km/h on the wrong side of the road without the lights on at night had been awake for six days and was high on methamphetamines.
A 42 year old driver who crashed her car that put her in a coma WS found to have methamphetamines, fentanyl and ketamine in her blood.
A QLD man was arrested who allegedly stole $100,000 in property in order to fund his drug habit.
Victorian police said drugs outstrips drink driving as the cause for road fatalities. In 2016, 41 people killed on the roads had drugs in their system compared to 26 with a blood alcohol reading over 0.05.
Victorian police discovered that a 30 year old man in custody for driving at 160 km/h is also allegedly a member of a major Wangaratta drug ring.
One in three children in the QLD child safety system have a parent using Ice. Sixty percent are under five years of age.
QLD Government held its first Ice summit.
The rate of Ice related hospital admissions in QLD jumped 20 times in six years – from 3.9 per 100,000 people to 79.9.
A 31 year old Newcastle man could face up to 20 years jail after being arrested with $100,000 worth of cocaine in his car.
Those articles were over the space of half a week in late April. In our next story we’ll wrap up the month.
