Addiction World

Brooke Mueller Flips Out Over Charlie... | Gather: "Brooke Mueller flipped out when she heard about Charlie Sheen’s hookers and coke relapse. Brooke has been in separate rehab from Charlie, so when she got wind of his disguises and antics, she blew a lid! More pictures of Brooke after the test… Brooke has been quietly rehabbing and staying out of the press"

Kirstie Alley Regrets Writing Cocaine-Fuelled Journal - Starpulse.com: "Kirstie Alley regrets writing drug-fuelled journal entries during her battle with addiction - because she once vowed to publish her ramblings while high on cocaine. The former Cheers star, who has now cleaned up her bad habit, admits she still can't believe some of the eccentric things she did while under the influence. She recalls, 'I was a druggie. Cocaine. That is a bad drug because it makes you think you're really smart and it makes you say really stupid things. I wrote a journal when I was doing coke. It was like, 'This was so profound somebody's gonna find this one day and it's going to change their life.' It was the dumbest s**t you've ever heard in your life.'"

Luis Miguel Hospitalized – Cocaine Rehab?: "Mega-popular Mexican singer, has been reported hospitalized at LA’s Cedar Sinai for several days. As you may know, this is the famous clinic where Britney was taken during her meltdown era. There have been many rumors on the Web, especially one that said he entered for cocaine rehab.
Latest reports on Spanish media about the state of Luis Miguel say that the singer has been hospitalized after problems during plastic surgery. Is he deformed now?? We don’t know his state, and well, there are still rumors of cocaine rehab on the Web.
Luis Miguel is now in a delicate state. Friends such as Sofia Vergara and Daisy Fuentes have gone to visit him, but they weren’t allowed due to the severity of his state. He can only be now visited by his rep Alejandro Asensi, his daughter Michelle Salas, and his brother Alejandro Basteri.
We hope Luis Miguel recovers quickly!"

Gazette Live - News - Local News - Cleveland Police launch mephedrone drug raids: "door was smashed in at 8.50am and a man, two females and a child were found inside. Detective Sergeant Nigel McCartney confirmed a quantity of brown crystalline mephedrone was found. He said: “Arrests will be made - we are continuing our investigations.”
The dangers of taking the synthetic drug, also known as meow meow, MCAT or bubbles, have been highlighted by suspected linked deaths of a growing number of young people in the UK and abroad.
Its potentially lethal effects - it can cause heart problems and seizures - increase if combined with alcohol or other drugs."

Cocaine ring arrests in northwest suburbs - chicagotribune.com: "'Dial-a-Rock' by police, the ring operated out of a 'stash house' in Schaumburg, where kilos of cocaine, purchased for $28,000 apiece, were brought in to be cooked into crack or packaged as powder cocaine, authorities said in court Thursday.
Operators would receive orders by phone — as many as hundreds each day — and runners, many recruited from Jalisco, Mexico, would deliver to customers, sometimes in quantities totaling a kilo per week, officials said.
The man alleged to be the kingpin of the ring, Ector Cortez, 40, of the 2800 block of Algonquin Road in Rolling Meadows, was ordered held in lieu of $1 million cash bail Thursday on charges of unlawful criminal drug conspiracy and unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, authorities said."

Anxiety during Withdrawal from Cocaine | Drug Addiction Treatment: "Relapse is common among those struggling to overcome an addiction to cocaine. Besides the physical ailments associated with discontinuing use of a drug, often psychological factors cause the drug user to be susceptible to a relapse.
It is important to understand the symptoms of a withdrawal, so that treatment centers may be able to better assist individuals with avoiding a relapse. The symptoms of withdrawal are often combated with other medications to ease their potency, making withdrawal more successful.
Santucci and Rosario (2010) recently examined the consequences of withdrawal in an animal model study, looking at how symptoms of anxiety develop during withdrawal from cocaine. The objective of the study was to examine the ways that anxiety levels are influenced by withdrawal, in anticipation that when applied to human beings, relapse risk might be reduced.
The researchers randomly assigned 26 male adolescent Long-Evans hooded rats to one of three groups. The first received daily injections of saline, the second received daily injections of 10 mg/kg of cocaine hydrochloride, and the third received daily injections of 20 mg/kg cocaine hydrochloride."

Richfield man charged in heroin overdose death - JSOnline: "Michael A. Cacchione, 24, is charged with party to the crime of first-degree reckless homicide in the death of Courtney M. Broeckel, according to a criminal complaint filed in Washington County Circuit Court.
Broeckel, 28, died March 11 in her home from what the Washington County Medical Examiner's office ruled acute heroin intoxication, according to the complaint.
Cacchoine told investigators that he gave Broeckel a line of heroin so she could feel better because she was 'dope sick.'
He also admitted being a heroin user and said he 'believes his source is the source of the bad heroin that is hurting people in the Washington County area,' according to the complaint.
The charge came a day after two men were bound over for trial in connection with the heroin overdose death of another Washington County woman.
Jason R. Bennett, 23, and Paul J. Lehmann Jr., 30, are each charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the death of Jamie L. McKeever, 25.
McKeever, of Kewaskum, died of a heroin overdose early in the morning of Nov. 5."

Lady Gaga – the new street name for heroin? « EarSucker: "Among the many names for heroin, you wouldn’t think that Lady Gaga’s name would be a part of it. Not in the traditional sense, that we’re aware of. There’s a new heroin on the street and it’s called Lady Gaga. Sound crazy?
A man in Syracuse, New York, was popped by cops on Tuesday after a tipster ratted him out. He was delivering 400 glassine bags of heroin, in his pants. Each bag was stamped in red ink, “Lady Gaga”.
Altogether, police found 15.6 grams of the stuff, which equates to $6,000."

30000 Russians die from heroin this year , Clusters - ecPulse.com: "30000 Russians die of young men and there are more of mothers cried over losing their sons, and the reason behind this die is heroin, where the heroin has increased between young men. In Russia there are now around 2.5 million heroin addicts due to the depression is a big problem, while in U.S there are around 800000 heroin addicts. The most factor affects on heroin increased in Russia is the geography factor, which nears from Afghanistan, where afghan heroin rose on the streets Russia."

Heroin Addicts: UN Office Of Drugs And Crime Launches New Report – Talk Radio News Service: "widespread drug abuse in Russia, Iran and Western Europe–main buyers of opium from Afghanistan. Some 30,000 Russians now die from heroin addiction each year. There are two and a half million people (mostly youth) addicted to heroin throughout Russia. The underlying reasons seem to be linked to unemployment, social frustration and general youth disenfranchisement on domestic issues.
Iran has one of the highest proportion of hard drug users in the world as cheap opium and refined heroin easily flow over from the Afghan border. Some estimates put the number of heroin users as high as three million – one in 20 of the population.
“The whole issue is a problem of shared responsibility,” said Walter Kemp, Spokesperson for the UNODC in a phone interview from Vienna. “The question is how to reduce demand and at the same time improve health, justice and security. Afghanistan seizes only 4-5 percent of its drug production while it produces 90 percent of the world’s opium.”
UNODC’s largest criminal justice reform program is in Afghanistan, where the organization strives to rebuild human and infrastructural capacity, and develop national policies in areas of justice and counter-narcotics.
In the United States, the UNODC estimates around 800,000 heroin addicts"

Whitney Houston has canceled more shows in Europe and her “people” are saying it is due to an upper respiratory infection.
Just as reports of Houston’s illness surface, a witness, Marlon David, has come forward to In Touch magazine claiming he saw Whitney (who was hanging out with ex-husbad Bobby Brown) do cocaine at the Beverly Wilshire hotel in LA on March 10th. Marlon says that Houston looked terrible, a disheveled mess. She reportedly came into the bar screaming, “I want a f***ing drink!” followed by more lovely language. Marlon says she seemed completely oblivious as to who was watching. He claims he later saw her do a line of coke while in the establishment.“I saw her pull a plastic bag out, put a folded bill to her nose and discreetly snort a line from it of what to me certainly looked like cocaine. She’s extremely thin and looks like a disaster. She’s a hot mess,” eyewitness Marlon David exclusively tells In Touch.
And believe it or not, Marlon says that Bobby was the sane one, looking embarrassed for Whitney and trying to get her out of the bar.“He had so much trouble trying to control her. He tried to make her leave, but she wouldn’t. She started yelling his name loudly and calling him a stupid son of a b****, and he told her to shut the f*** up.”So basically nothing has changed. I don’t doubt this story for a minute. I think Whitney Houston is simply a vessel for the record companies to make money. Who cares how she performs – or if she is on death’s door – they are trying to squeeze every last dollar out of her, before she kills herself. They threw her out onstage last year before she was ready.I think she probably got clean for a short while, but then being out on the road again she was in the same circumstances that led to her addiction in the first place. She wasn’t strong enough to stay sober. I worried this was going to happen from the very beginning, and it looks like it may have. Sadly, Whitney Houston is washed up, kaput, done with, ruined. She will never, ever be that gorgeous girl with the voice of an angel and a sparkle in her eye. I just don’t see it happening.

Cab driver Lascell Malcolm, 63, died of a heart attack after swigging from a bottle of rum given to him as payment for a fare - unaware that it contained liquid cocaine, The Sun reported.Police said it was one of five Bounty rum bottles - containing more than 250g of cocaine - given to unsuspecting people flying from St Lucia to the UK last May by drug baron Martin Newman, 49.asked Martin Lawrence to carry two, saying he was over his baggage limit. He agreed to give them back in arrivals in Britain.After landing, Newman was delayed by a baggage search.
Customs officers found he had £4,000 in cash but let him go. Meanwhile Mr Lawrence couldn't wait as he had to catch a flight to his Swiss home. He gave a bottle to friend, Antoinette Corlis.She was picked up at the airport by her friend, Mr Malcolm. The minicab driver refused payment so she gave him the "rum". The father-of-two died the next day.His nephew and a friend visited his house in Haringey, North London, to pay their respects and had a drink of rum as a toast. They noticed it tasted bad and were rushed to hospital. Both survived.Prosecutor Oliver Glasgow told South London's Croydon Crown Court: "A spoonful could kill anyone."Police traced the other bottles in the £100,000 (US$152,710) haul.Newman has denied charges of manslaughter and importing drugs. The case continues.

After admitting to a string of affairs, the world No.1 is now under investigation for his relationship with a doctor who has been arrested for smuggling human growth hormone. Dr Tony Galea flew to Woods' home in Florida last year to perform a controversial injection therapy called "blood spinning" to speed his recovery from knee surgery.Since Canadian Galea's arrest last October, the FBI have questioned his clients including baseball and gridiron players. And now Woods is a potential witness."They (federal investigators ) actually contacted Steiny (Mark Steinburg, Woods' agent) and they can havefull co-operation, whenever they need me," said the 34-year-old in his first press conference since the scandal over his personal life.
Woods used Galea, who is unregistered in the United States, to help recovery after tearing his Achilles following his fourth knee operation."He did come to my home," Woods added. "The injections help you heal faster and I did everything I possibly could so I could get back on the golf course. He never gave me HGH or any PEDs (performance-enhancing drugs). I've never taken that my entire life."Woods has not played in a tournament since November.But he said ahead of his 16th Masters: "Nothing has changed. I am going out there to try and win this thing."Woods added

Russia wants Britain and the United States to do more to eradicate opium poppy production in Afghanistan.Russian officials accuse Nato troops of refusing to destroy poppy fields in Afghanistan, which account for around 90% of the world's heroin supply.
The head of Russia's drug control agency described Russia's heroin problem as a "tsunami" sweeping over the country.

arrested Tara L. Reynolds, 26, 716 1/2 W. Main St., Wednesday on a warrant for failure to appear in court on a charge of disorderly conduct. She was taken to the jail and placed in a cell with another inmate.Jail staff reported they found heroin in the cell, suspecting it belonged to Reynolds. The sheriff's office called in Tri-County Drug Enforcement and Narcotics Team agents who questioned Reynolds. Agents said Reynolds said she had the heroin concealed on her body when she was brought to the jail the day before and could have destroyed it since, but did not do so.Reynolds was charged with bringing contraband into a penal institution and possession of heroin, both of which can be punished with probation or prison.Reynolds was formerly known as Tara L. Garrow. Under that name, she was convicted April 5, 2004, in Cook County of possession of heroin. She also been arrested in connection with retail theft and driving under the influence.

Parker, 36, was jailed for 10 years as the principal player in the "sophisticated" drugs conspiracy. Bullen, 45, was jailed for eight years at Teesside Crown Court yesterday. They used the home of alcoholic Keith Coxford to store more than half a kilo Thousand (10 to the 3rd power). Abbreviated "K." For technical specifications, it refers to the precise value 1,024 since computer specifications are based on binary numbers. For example, 64K means 65,536 bytes when referring to memory or storage (64x1024), but a 64K salary means $64,000. of heroin worth about pounds 50,000.

Beijing will execute as early as Monday a Japanese man convicted last year of drug trafficking, it was learned Tuesday. If the execution is carried out, it would be the first time a Japanese is put to death in China after the diplomatic relations between the two countries were restored in 1972. In September 2006, Mitsunobu Akano was arrested at Dalian Airport in Liaoning Province for attempting with another Japanese to smuggle about 2.5 kilograms of stimulant drugs to Japan. The accomplice was sentenced to 15 years in prison. In June 2008, the Dalian Intermediate People's Court handed down a death sentence on the man. He appealed, but the sentence was finalized after the Liaoning Province High People's Court upheld it. China's intermediate courts and high courts are equivalent to Japan's district courts and high courts, respectively. Four Japanese, including the man, have been given death sentences for drug trafficking. The Chinese government has shown little leniency over the smuggling of stimulant drugs and other narcotics. The Chinese criminal code stipulates that people caught smuggling 50 grams of stimulant drugs or more will be subject to imprisonment of 15 years, life imprisonment or death. However, drug smuggling attempts by Japanese have shown no significant signs of decline in China. In March, a 28-year-old Japanese from Tokyo was arrested at an airport in Shenyang by the public security authority for attempting to smuggle about 1 kilogram of stimulants to Japan. In July 2009, three Japanese men were arrested at Dalian Airport for drug trafficking.

Jose Antonio Medina was captured by Mexican police in the western state of Michoacan, where he allegedly operated a trafficking network that smuggled 440 pounds of heroin a month across the border into Southern California, federal police said.Medina, 36, was sought on a warrant issued last year for extradition to the U.S. on charges of drug trafficking and sales north of the border. Mexican officials said his smugglers hid small loads of heroin in secret compartments of vehicles that were sent across the border at Tijuana and then to Los Angeles.Mexican police said that since 2007, the Medina group has sold about $12 million worth of heroin a month.

Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center boffins report that teens in psychiatric care who used crack and/or cocaine at least once were six times more likely to use condoms inconsistently, which was defined as "sometimes," "never" or "rarely." The findings suggest that crack cocaine appears to have more of an influence on risky teen behaviors than other factors, like alcohol and marijuana use, which are more routinely incorporated into adolescent HIV prevention interventions."Unprotected sex is the most common way that HIV is transmitted among teens, so if we can develop a clearer picture of why some kids engage in high-risk sexual behaviors, we will be better prepared to educate them about safe sex," says lead author Marina Tolou-Shams, PhD, of the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center. "Our findings suggest that future HIV prevention interventions should include content specific to crack and cocaine use, just as they do with drugs that are more commonly used by teens, like alcohol and marijuana."

Overall, nearly 280 teens between the ages of 13 and 18 from therapeutic psychiatric day programs took part in the study.

Participants exhibited a range of psychiatric diagnoses, including mood disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and disruptive behavior disorders. More than half of all adolescents were male, and more than three-quarters were Caucasian. Approximately 13% of teens in the study reported trying crack or cocaine at least once.After controlling for known adolescent HIV risk factors, such as gender, race, age and psychiatric status, researchers found that only 47% of teens with a history of crack and/or cocaine use said they used condoms "always or almost always." In addition, 15% of these adolescents have a history of sexually transmitted diseases (STD), nearly three-quarters reported using alcohol at least once and more than half indicated prior marijuana use.In comparison, 71% of teens who never used crack or cocaine reported using condoms consistently.

dode or doda, an opium-derived drug popular in Canada’s South-Asian community, is easily available and can be bought cheaply by anyone—including minors—in many retail stores. “Anybody could walk in any day of the week and purchase it no matter how old they are, and then they take it just like any other type of drug,” he said. “It's been a very big problem and it's a growing problem.”The drug, also known as “poor man’s heroin,” is popular among taxi drivers, construction workers, and truck drivers who say it gives them energy and helps them stay awake for long stretches.But it can also impair one’s ability, and Bains believes it could be the cause of any number of work-related accidents.“They drive taxis, they drive trucks, they go on construction sites or whatever else they're doing. They put themselves and the people around them in quite an unsafe situation.”Although doda produces a quick high followed by feelings of relaxation and calm, it can also cause loss of concentration, slurred speech, drowsiness, impotence, constipation, and mood swings, according to police. And as with other derivatives of the poppy plant, it is addictive.

“It is no different than opium—it is highly addictive,” says Bains. “Because it has lower concentrations of [opium] it takes more time to get hooked, but once you're on you're on it.” Imported from countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India where it has been used for decades, doda appeared in Canada only within the last 10 or 15 years, largely in Indo-Canadian communities.“It started out originally in back east in the Toronto area and started to spread quickly to the west,” Bains said.Made from ground poppy pods, doda comes in the form of a greyish powder and is usually prepared as a tea. The drug can also be used as a kind of meat seasoning, and doda users most commonly obtain the powder from South Asian meat shops.
Dr. David Mowat, Medical Officer of Health for Ontario’s Peel region, said he has been hearing of increasingly more cases of doda addiction from physicians who specialize in addiction. “They say they're seeing a lot of people who are having problems with this drug—problems with work, sleeping, withdrawal symptoms, and family problems," he told CTV News.“There's a concern that people don't really know what they are consuming. People don't know that this is a morphine derivative.” Doda is illegal in Canada and anyone found selling or using it can be charged, with penalties ranging from fines to jail. However, because it can contain very small amounts of opium, the legality in some cases remains unclear.A letter Bains received from the office of B.C.’s solicitor-general said that some samples of doda seized in the Toronto area “did not contain enough opium to rate a positive test. Consequently, some of the seized product did not merit the laying of charges on the seller.”On March 15, Peel Regional Police raided three addresses in Brampton, Mississauga, and Toronto, seizing more than 1,200 kilos of doda worth about $2.5 million.Doda seizures have also taken place in Calgary and Edmonton. The first large-scale seizure of the drug in B.C. occurred in Surrey last November when Surrey RCMP confiscated hundreds of kilos of poppy pods and finished product along with crushing and grinding equipment.The seized product has been forwarded to a Health Canada lab to confirm the presence of drugs that are prohibited under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
“I think police all across Canada are much more aware of this, the communities are much more aware of this, and they're starting to treat this issue seriously and they're starting to pay attention that this is no different than any other drug,” says Bains.NDP MLA for Surrey-Newton, Bains has been working to raise awareness of the prevalence of the drug in response to concerns raised by his constituents. A big part of his motivation, he says, is the fear doda will end up finding its way into schools.“I think what they need to do is treat this substance just like any other illegal drug and act accordingly for the sale, for the possession, and the importation of this. That's how you can nip it in the bud—no pun intended.”

Oscar Arriola Marquez has pleaded not guilty to charges that include money laundering and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Authorities say Arriola Marquez used a remote ranch in Peyton, Colo., to help ship 440 pounds of cocaine a week for distribution to Chicago and New York City. Arriola Marquez was in federal court Tuesday in Denver for a detention hearing. A tentative trial date has been set for May.He faces 10 year to life in prison if convicted. He was arrested in Mexico in 2006 and extradited to Colorado this month.

Canadian researchers have discovered the genes responsible for crucial steps in the manufacture of morphine by poppies, raising the possibility of plants that produce medically-useful codine but cannot be used for heroin.

Jillian Hagel and Peter Facchini, of the University of Calgary, report in Nature Chemical Biology that they have identified the enzymes responsible for two of the three chemical steps that convert the amino acid tyrosine to morphine. They also identified the genes that produce these enzymes.

“The enzymes encoded by these two genes have eluded plant biochemists for a half-century,” says Facchini (press release). “In finding not only the enzymes but also the genes, we've made a major step forward. It’s equivalent in finding a gene involved in cancer or other genetic disorders.”

Shutting down the production of morphine at the right point could mean that plants produced only codine – a widely used painkiller – and not morphine, which is used to make heroin. As Facchini and Hagel note in their paper, cultivation of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) is the sole commercial source for codine and derivatives such as oxycodone.

A poppy which could produce codine but not heroin would be useful in places like Afghanistan, where production for illicit use is prevalent and attempts to encourage cultivation for medical purposes are often stymied by concerns about heroin production

The 25-year-old Cats star, who played in the team's 2007 premiership-winning side, was charged along with five other men in a police operation in Geelong last month.
He allegedly told police at the time that he bought one gram of cocaine for $500 from a nightclub bouncer for a friend visiting from Darwin.If convicted of trafficking, Stokes faces a lifetime ban from football under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code, to which the AFL is a signatory.There is no allegation that Stokes took the cocaine himself, police said.Stokes was charged after raids on several Geelong homes in which police seized more than $3,000 in cash and drugs worth an estimated value of $50,000.Stokes' name came up in telephone intercepts during the operation, detectives said at the time.He will appear for a committal mention hearing, along with co-accused Wassam Solieman, 34, of Hamlyn Heights, in the Geelong Magistrates' Court.
Stokes began playing for Geelong in 2006. He has played 71 games and kicked 108 goals.The club has announced a range of in-house penalties for Stokes.It has suspended him until round eight of the AFL season, fined him $5,000 and demanded he finds full-time work until round four of the season.

Natalie Mejia, a member of pop group Girlicious, was arrested in a Los Angeles suburb on Tuesday night after police reportedly found more than a dozen plastic bags of cocaine in her Gucci purse. KTLA reports that Mejia was stopped by police for speeding. After searching the car, police arrested and booked the singer on suspicion of possessing cocaine for sale. According to jail records, she spent the night in jail and was released on $30,000 bail.Her driver, Peter Asencio, was also arrested, and it was later discovered that Asencio was driving with a suspended license.
Mejia is scheduled to appear in court on April 15.Girlicious was founded by Pussycat Dolls creator Robin Antin, who featured the group on the CW's reality competition 'Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious.' Their songs include 'Stupid S***' and 'Baby Doll,' both released from their 2008 self-titled album.

Lawyers for Michael Douglas' son Cameron urged a judge to hand their client bail on Thursday by insisting he was pushed into a life of drugs because of his father's fame.Cameron Douglas was arrested August 2009 following a drugs raid on his room at the Hotel Gansevoort in New York City.He was initially put under house arrest at his mother's Manhattan address after pleading guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possession of heroin.
However, the 31 year old was thrown back behind bars after he allegedly asked girlfriend Kelly Sott to smuggle heroin to him in an electric toothbrush.And during a request for bail on Thursday, the 31 year old's defense lawyers claimed Douglas' troubles stemmed from his "difficult upbringing" with his Oscar-winning father.Defense attorney Dan Gitner said, "(Douglas') serious heroin addiction (stems from) notoriety that is not due to any acts of his own but by dint of birth and a difficult upbringing."While fellow defense lawyer Nicholas DeFeis added, "He didn't benefit from his celebrity. He was hurt by it in a variety of ways, including ways in this case."At an earlier hearing on February 11, the star's psychiatrist Dr. Robert Millman made similar claims, describing how Douglas' privileged background made him "reckless."
He told the court, "He has been sort of a reckless person since he was really young, endangering himself constantly.
"Not violent, just screwing up in every way - car accidents, motorcycle accidents, tattoos. I think a lot of it had to do with who his parents are."
The judge refused to grant bail over fears Douglas would relapse while awaiting his trial in April.

Police have arrested Tarkan, Turkey’s most famous pop music star, in a narcotics raid, Turkey’s semi-official Anatolian Agency reported Friday.
According to Anatolian, Tarkan was detained along with several other individuals who are "important figures from the art and magazine world."
CNN reports that Tarkan rose to international prominence in the late 1990s for singing playful hit songs like "Simarik" (Spoiled). The heartthrob has been described by some as a Turkish Ricky Martin, referring to the Latin pop singer from Puerto Rico who achieved popularity worldwide.
German-born Tarkan, who uses only one name, has also made pop charts around the world. In recent years, it was reported, he has been living in New York City. The arrest was carried out in Istanbul.
Turkey is a key stop on a drug smuggling transit route between Asia and Europe. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, it is a major hub for the trafficking of illegal heroin and opium from Afghanistan en route to European markets.
Drug operations involving Turkish celebrities, including artists and models, are often carried out in Istanbul.

Michael Douglas' son Cameron will be stuck behind bars until he's sentenced for drug charges, after a judge shot down his bid for momentary freedom today in court.
Cameron has been locked up since last year, when his girlfriend smuggled him heroin while he was under house arrest awaiting trial. Douglas has since pled guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possession of heroin.Today in Federal Court in Manhattan, Cameron asked the judge to let him bail out so he could be transferred to a rehabilitation center.
The judge ruled Cameron was more likely to relapse if he was let out, and denied his bail.Cameron is due back in court on April 14.

The Two and a Half Men actor - who entered an undisclosed treatment centre yesterday - was reportedly admitted for professional help after his drink and Class A drug use escalated.Gossip website Radar Online reported: “Charlie has relapsed into using both booze and cocaine and simply couldn’t put off entering rehab any longer.”The 44-year-old actor - who is currently facing charges following allegations he attacked his spouse Brooke Mueller on Christmas Day - was urged to make the move by friends and family for the sake of their 11-month-old twin sons Bob and Max.
A source told the website: “He loves his children and ultimately that’s what convinced him to get help.”Real estate investor Mueller is also in a rehabilitation centre over substance abuse problems.It has been claimed the couple have had marital problems for months, but remained together because of their mutual love of partying.
A source added: “The one thing they share is that they both love to party.”
When Sheen was first admitted to rehab, it was claimed his stay was purely a “preventative measure”.His spokesperson said: “As a preventative measure, Charlie Sheen has entered a rehabilitation facility.“He will take some time off his series Two and a Half Men. He has asked that his privacy be honoured. No further statements are planned.”
Filming of his show Two and a Half Men will be “temporarily suspended” and CBS - the network who produce the comedy - wish Sheen “nothing but the best as he deals with this personal matter”.This news comes days after it was revealed Sheen had been visited by child protection services last week.The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) dropped by the family home he shares with Mueller to check up on the twins following his December arrest.The actor was arrested over domestic violence allegations, and was charged with a felony and two misdemeanours. He is expected to plead not guilty when he returns to a Colorado court next month.

Lindsay Lohan laid bare the extent of her drug addiction Monday, confessing that she came close to killing herself through a heady mix of alcohol and cocaine.
The bisexual actress, 23, who visited rehab three times and was jailed after being caught with cocaine, revealed she hit rock bottom and risked blowing her entire career via drug abuse.She said her problems got worse when her father Michael, a former drug addict who beat up her mother Dina, started talking about his daughter to the press in 2007."When my father was going public, that's when I hit rock bottom," Lohan told The Sun."I tried to mask my problems with alcohol, cocaine and mind-altering substances. I ran myself down and lost track of who I was."Referring to her May 2007 arrest for DUI (driving under the influence) and possession of cocaine, Lohan said: "I just thank God everyone was okay. But it was scary. I had three drinks, at most. I've been stupid and childish and I wasn't thinking."The former child actress, who starred in The Parent Trap and Mean Girls, was ordered to attend alcohol education classes and insists she is now clean of her addictions."I've made some dreadful mistakes but learned from them - that has probably saved my life," she said."Mind-altering drugs are so dangerous. I'm allowed to drink now but I know my limits. Partying so hard isn't worth it."

Students at one of the world's most prestigious educational institutions, Oxford University in England, have been warned against dealing in heroin.
It was Oxford University's independent student newspaper Cherwell which first reported that an anonymous letter had been sent to authorities at one of Oxford's largest colleges, Christ Church.
The letter had warned the authorities at what is one of 38 colleges and six Permanent Private Halls at Oxford that a "considerable drugs culture" can be found among the students at Christ Church.
According to the Telegraph those students number 426.
And as a consequence of the anonymous letter, junior Censor Ian Watson, described by the Daily Mail as the person "in charge of discipline" at Christ Church, has sent an email to his college's students with the subject line "Urgent warning concerning drugs".
Explaining to the students that "The law applies just as rigorously within college as elsewhere" and that he and his colleagues cannot and will not protect anyone who breaks the law Mr Watson said:
Last week the censors received an anonymous letter alleging the existence in Christ Church of a considerable drugs culture, including the supplying of class A drugs such as heroin. The letter named one individual.
The police, whom the censors consulted in the person of the community liaison officer who deals with the university, have advised that this letter does not in itself constitute usable evidence with which to start an investigation.
All junior members should, however, recall that the use, and especially the supplying, of prohibited drugs constitutes a serious criminal offence
While students interviewed by Cherwell acknowledged that drugs could be found at Christ Church, and one student is quoted by the Daily Mail as saying "On the surface Christ Church appears to be full of hardworking, bookish students. In reality, drug use and supply is widespread", the consensus seems to be that heroin is not being widely used by those attending the college.
With Ian Watson dubbed by one female student "an over-enthusiastic Censor being over-dramatic", another unnamed student opined:
It looks like some nutter coming in, seeing a few people looking rough, and saying they're all smack-heads. It's palpably false - there is no Heroin in Christ Church
However Christ Church has been at the center of a controversy involving the use of heroin on a previous occasion.
In 1986 Olivia Channon, the 22-year-old daughter of the late Paul Channon, Conservative Secretary of State for Transport and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry during the 1980s, died at a party on campus from the effects of the alcohol she had consumed and the heroin she had taken.
The party attended by Ms Channon had taken place in the room of Count Gottfried von Bismarck, who was to eventually die in 2007 at the age of 44 after what the Daily Mail said at the time and the Telegraph said this weekend was "a two-day binge on cocaine and heroin".

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