Cocaine’s been big in Cumbria for about five years

12:57 Cumbria 0 Comments

Paul Brown: ’Cocaine’s been big in Cumbria for about five years’ drug counsellors in Carlisle have warned that growing numbers of young professionals are coming to them with cocaine addictions.Self-employed men in their twenties are seen as an area of concern because many take home good pay and splash out on increasing amounts of the drug at weekends.The problem is compounded with dealers dropping the price, increasing its availability. Cumbria police say cocaine has a current street value of around £40 a gram.No official figures have yet been recorded but the Cumbria Alcohol and Drug Advisory Service (Cadas) has noticed a small yet increasing number of calls from people making inquiries about what help they can get.Managers raised the issue with Chief Constable Craig Mackey this week when he visited the charity’s new offices in West Tower Street.Cadas counsellor Helen Gregory said: “Cocaine is one of the challenges for us in going forward. The clientele we get is different with cocaine compared to other drugs. It’s men in their twenties who are self-employed in business, and at weekends they will binge on cocaine.“Because they are self-employed they don’t have a boss to tell them off on a Monday morning when they get back to work.”The charity’s director Paul Brown said: “Cocaine has been big in Cumbria for about five years but the nature of it is that people enjoy it for quite a lot of the time and think they can handle what they are doing.
“But then they spend more and more money on it and the habit starts taking hold.”
He added: “Because these people are spending more time on the up and up, the world seems dull and they can’t cope with that.
“For us, it is just starting to come through with people coming forward, but it’s the tip of the iceberg.”Mr Brown said cocaine was commonly seen as a party drug. He added: “Also with so many celebrities seen to be taking it, it is seen as a drug that can bring you success. People think it is a Hollywood drug.”
Cadas has moved into a new base in West Tower Street from offices nearby in Fisher Street. An official opening is planned later this year.

Richie Sambora, was arrested Tuesday night

20:17 Laguna Beach 0 Comments

Bon Jovi guitarist, Richie Sambora, was arrested Tuesday night by Laguna Beach, California, police on suspicion of DUI.Sambora recently checked himself into rehab due to depression and alcoholism after his divorce from Heather Locklear and the death of his father.

Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora has been arrested for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol.The 48-year-old guitarist was arrested just before 11 p.m. Tuesday after an officer noticed his black Hummer weaving in traffic lanes, said Laguna Beach police Sgt. Jason Kravetz.Sambora was given field sobriety tests and arrested without incident. He was booked at the Laguna Beach jail and released at 4 a.m., Kravetz said Wednesday.“He was very cooperative with all the staff,” Kravetz said.A woman and two girls were passengers in the car, said Kravetz, who declined to release their names. But Celebrity Web site TMZ.com reports that a police source said Sambora’s 10-year-old daughter with ex-wife Heather Locklear, Ava, was in the car with him. Sambora, who had two stints in rehab last year, was given notice to appear in court May 7 on one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence, Kravetz said.Ken Sunshine, a spokesman for Bon Jovi, had no comment.
Sambora is a founding member of Bon Jovi. The band’s last album, “Lost Highway,” was released in 2007.

Dr Daniel Serrano, who was jailed for injecting industrial, low-grade silicone into women's faces

14:38 non-approved drugs 0 Comments

Elvis Presley's ex-wife Priscilla is reportedly undergoing corrective surgery for a botched cosmetic procedure she had done in 2003.The socialite and actress, who is among the celebrities taking part in the current season of US reality TV show 'Dancing With The Stars', was a client of Dr Daniel Serrano, who was jailed for injecting industrial, low-grade silicone into women's faces, reports TMZ.com.
Serrano claimed his injections worked better than Botox, but the non-approved drug he allegedly smuggled into America from Argentina left some clients with holes in their faces and paralysis.It is also reported that Dr Serrano was working without a license.Serrano was indicted for smuggling drugs, and the conspiracy and use of unapproved drugs, and convicted.He was released last week and is currently being investigated by federal immigration officials, and could be deported.

Stephen Glover aka Steve-O of "Jackass" fame has been charged with felony possession of cocaine

14:34 Steve-O 0 Comments

Steve-O of "Jackass" fame has been charged with felony possession of cocaine, according to court documents posted on celebrity news site TMZ.com.
The documents show that Steve-O, whose real name is Stephen Glover, was charged Monday. A message left for his manager, Ben Feigin, wasn’t immediately returned late Thursday.The 33-year-old co-star of MTV’s irreverent stunt show was arrested March 3 at his Hollywood home for investigation of vandalism and possession of a controlled substance.Glover allegedly had a small quantity of drugs on him, police said at the time.

Steve-O has been hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

09:13 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center 0 Comments

"Steve started flipping out. He told doctors he wanted to hurt himself badly. He wanted to break every bone in his body one by one."Jackass star Steve-O is being held on an extended mental hold at Cedars-Sinai Medican Center after threatening to kill himself. Friends and family say Stevie suffers from an untreated bi-polar disorder that he self-medicates with cocaine, causing his erratic behavior. In fact, Steve was charged Thursday with felony cocaine possession stemming from his March 3 bust following a run-in with a fellow tenant in his Hollywood apartment building.
His behavior worsened over the weekend when he e-mailed suicide notes to several friends, blaming a recent break-up. A friend and his bodyguard took him to the hospital around 2pm on Sunday, where he made a major scene.
Steve-O has been hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and has also been charged by the L.A. County District Attorney with felony possession of cocaine. First Steve-O was admitted to Thalians Mental Health Center last Sunday. Now he is in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after threatening to harm himself. A source said:

San Diego clergyman found dead

08:42 Unity Fellowship Church in City Heights 0 Comments

San Diego clergyman found dead inside his rented Tijuana apartment Wednesday had marijuana in his system in addition to heroin, the Baja California Attorney General's Office said Friday night.
Dr. Maria Guadalupe Licea, who oversees investigations in Tijuana, said an autopsy had determined that the Rev. Charles Lanier died of a heroin overdose that caused the blockage of a pulmonary artery, with heart failure listed as a secondary cause. Lanier had an enlarged heart, according to the autopsy.
Authorities believe the drugs were self-administered. A syringe was found near Lanier's body. Police were called to his third-floor apartment near the border after neighbors saw his body through his partially open apartment door.
Lanier was pastor of Unity Fellowship Church in City Heights. His family reported him missing Feb. 18, and his black CTS Cadillac was found Feb. 22 in a San Ysidro parking lot.

Punters in Doncaster are paying just £1 for ecstasy

08:39 Doncaster 0 Comments

In the United Kingdom its now cheaper to buy a deal of ecstasy than it is to buy a bottle of mineral water, a pint of beer, or a single litre of petrol.What the hell do the government expect to do about reducing drug user numbers apart from threatening to lock more offenders up and stop social security payments?Thats right. Nothing! Punters in Doncaster are paying just £1 for ecstasy - making the drugs cheaper than a bottle of coke.The Free Press today reveals shock figures which show how substances, including hard drugs such as heroin, can be snapped up for only a few pounds. Health bosses have said the prices of drugs in Doncaster are among the cheapest in the country.Fill your boots because drugs have never been cheaper or more readily available.

Cecil Russouw was a low-level drug dealer selling amounts of marijuana

08:34 Victoria Police 0 Comments

Cecil Russouw was meant to be fishing with his son James this morning, but the planned father-and-son outing never happened.The charred body of James Russouw, 24, of Box Hill was found late on Friday in a burnt-out car behind a Melbourne sports ground where, according to police, he had often gone to deal small amounts of marijuana. The body was burnt beyond recognition, but Mr Russouw's father today said he had bought the dark blue 1997 Jeep Cherokee for his son and "it could only be James". Blood and accelerant were found next to the car behind an oval at the East Burwood Reserve. Investigators have established that Mr Russouw left his brother's home in Box Hill about 10.30pm on Friday and headed for a friend's place in Vermont South. He spoke to a friend on the phone about 10.45pm to get directions, but he never arrived. Police and firefighters discovered Mr Russouw's body on the front seat of the burnt-out Jeep Cherokee after concerned residents near the reserve reported that a car was on fire about 11.15pm.
Detective Senior Sergeant Ron Iddles of the homicide squad said investigators had established Mr Russouw frequented the reserve to deal marijuana. "Although Victoria Police had no intelligence or evidence that he was involved in any criminal activity, as a result of speaking with some close friends, it's apparent that he was a low-level drug dealer selling amounts of marijuana and we believe that parking place was an area that he went to do drug dealings," he told reporters in Melbourne today.
Mr Russouw's family was not aware he dealt drugs, he said. An autopsy yesterday confirmed Mr Russouw had died of multiple stab wounds.
Mr Russouw's father said James had an older brother and a younger sister who was on her way back to Australia from Canada. He said he last spoke to his son on Friday evening, when they had "a normal chat about footy and fishing".
"We were meant to go fishing this morning, together."
Det Snr Sgt Iddles appealed to anyone who had seen the dark blue 1997 Jeep Cherokee with mag wheels travelling east along the Burwood Highway about 10.30pm on Friday to contact police. He also appealed to people who had been in contact with Mr Russouw on Friday to come forward.

French police officer was jailed for growing and selling cannabis

08:28 French police officer 0 Comments

French police officer caught stealing from a dead road crash victim was jailed Monday for growing and selling cannabis, violence and theft.Prosecutors at the court in Draguignan, southeastern France, said Eric Desvaux had "tarnished the reputation of a great state body." He was sentenced to nine months in jail, with three months suspended.The 39-year-old, a former European swimming champion, was arrested in May after his girlfriend accused him of stealing a camera from the body of a man who died in a road crash. When police officers searched his home they found the stolen camera -- and a cannabis plantation.
"tarnished the reputation of a great state body" - I'll say he has..In court, Desvaux did not deny he committed the crimes, but said he had suffered from relationship problems.

Greek Orthodox nunnery was turned into a marijuana plantation

08:24 Greek Orthodox nunnery 0 Comments

Greek Orthodox nunnery was turned into a marijuana plantation by two men posing as gardeners for elderly nuns, police said on Tuesday.
Acting on a tip-off, officers raided the nunnery in the village of Filiro, near the northern port city of Thessaloniki, and found more than 30 large cannabis plants in the enclosed garden."Two unknown men had told the two elderly nuns in the nunnery they would like to help them with the garden and then proceeded to plant the cannabis," a police official told Reuters.
"The nuns did not know what they were and assumed they were large decorative plants," he said.Police did not arrest the nuns and have launched a hunt for the culprits.

Amy Winehouse, Pete Doherty and Kate Moss Letting celebrities get away with drug crimes is sending out the wrong message

08:19 Britain highest cocaine use in the European Union 0 Comments

Letting celebrities get away with drug crimes is sending out the wrong message to 'impressionable' young people, a UN report warned Wednesday.The United Nations drug control agency has for the first time highlighted the damaging influence drug-using celebrities -- such as Amy Winehouse, Pete Doherty and Kate Moss in Britain -- have on fans.Without specifically naming anyone, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) said in its annual report that leniency by police and courts towards famous people undermines the criminal justice system."There should not be any difference between a celebrity who is breaking the law and non-celebrities," said INCB member Professor Hamid Ghodse. "Not only does it give the wrong messages to young people, who are often quite impressionable, but the wider public become cynical about the responses to drug offenders."The UN agency urged governments to pay more attention to high profile drug abuse cases, saying the glamourisation of drug abuse is especially relevant for young people who are "often most vulnerable" to the cult of celebrity.The warning comes amid recent highly publicised examples of British celebrities getting caught with drugs.Musician Pete Doherty has avoided prison for drug offences on numerous occasions, while troubled soul singer Amy Winehouse was caught on tape smoking crack cocaine in January.And in 2005, supermodel Kate Moss was filmed snorting cocaine, earning her the nickname 'cocaine Kate'. Moss not only escaped prosecution, but even saw her career boosted by the incident.While not naming any names, Ghodse said: "A number of people have got a lenient response in the UK and around the world."Britain is one of the countries with the highest cocaine use in the European Union, along with Italy and Spain, the UN report says.
Home Office figures have shown that cocaine use in England and Wales rose from 2.0 percent to 2.4 percent in 2005/06 for 15- to 64-year-olds.

Duncan Haldane admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin on 5, April 2007

08:17 Glasgow 0 Comments

Duncan Haldane, now 17, from Possilpark, Glasgow admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin on 5, April 2007.The court heard Haldane had the drug stuffed down his trouser leg when police stopped a car in which he was a front seat passenger.
He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced next month.Haldane admitted being concerned in the supply of the drug at the Travel Inn, Bowtree Services, near Kincardine Bridge and in London Road, Glasgow.Police targeted the car after they received information drugs were being couriered from the Fife area to Glasgow.
They followed the car from near the Kincardine Bridge to the city where it was stopped.Police found a supermarket carrier bag containing almost a kilo of heroin in Haldane's trouser leg. http://news.bbc.co.uk

Hollywood 'A-lister' Bruce Willis was introduced to African cannabis by rapper Rick Ross

08:10 Rick Ross 0 Comments

The hip-hop star claimed he used to smoke the illegal drug with the 'Die Hard 4.0' actor during an interview on 'The Ramiro and Pebbles Morning Show' on Boston's JAM'N 94.5 FM radio station yesterday (05.03.08).
When questioned about the most famous celebrity he has ever got high with, Rick laughed: "Bruce Willis".


He added: "He doesn't talk too much when he's high - he'll just look at you, you know, 'I'm really smoking with this dude'. "You know, I had to introduce him to that African thing, I got him some African."In a recent interview, the hip-hop star also revealed: "I'm a weed fanatic. I've smoked blunts with some of the biggest people in the world. To me, that's my hobby. To be able to say I smoked blunts with Snoop Dogg, I've smoked blunts with Bruce Willis, I've smoked a blunt with Too Short. I'm what you call a Cannabis Cup Champion!"While Rick didn't reveal when he met up with Bruce, this isn't the actor's first encounter with the illegal substance.
He revealed recently: "Living in Manhattan was the most irresponsible, carefree time of my life. I had a great time going wild. I drank too much. I also smoked weed and tried various drugs.
"I only liked pot, though. I smoked a lot of pot and when I wasn't acting, I was out dancing every night. I had a blast and I could stretch $20 over three days - I would live off pizza and beer."
http://www.thecheers.org

Jonny Dymond BBC journalist has been caught trying to board a plane to London with cannabis in his suitcase.

08:06 Lithuania 0 Comments

A BBC journalist has been caught trying to board a plane to London with cannabis in his suitcase.Jonny Dymond, who is based in Brussels, was arrested and fined - but won't lose his job.The 38-year-old was detained by transport police at Vilnius Airport, in Lithuania, after two grams of the drug was found in his bag.
Dymond, a radio and TV news reporter, is understood to have been on holiday alone in Lithuania. He was checking in for a flight to London on Sunday, when he was arrested.
At a court hearing in the capital Vilnius, on Tuesday he pleaded guilty to carrying the drug and was fined £230 for possession.He told the court he bought it in a nightclub on Saturday night when he was drunk.Back at his hotel, the cannabis was accidentally packed into his belongings before police found it, he added. Dymond is expected to appear before BBC bosses to explain his actions. But a spokesman played down his arrest"We are aware of the incident, which happened in his own time. He recognises that he has been foolish."A BBC insider said it was not a sackable offence. "It's likely that the BBC will speak to him about this but it probably won't go any further."It was a very small amount and was clearly only for personal use. It was not a bigger crime than that."Dymond is married to the journalist Hettie Judah and has a seven-year-old son.A Durham University graduate, he has worked as a BBC Europe correspondent since 2005. Before that, he was the BBC's Istanbul correspondent for three years.Dymond is best known for his coverage-of the 9/11 attacks in 2001 when he was Washington correspondent.He joined the BBC in 1994 as a researcher on political programmes. He has also worked as a producer on Newsnight.
A Lithuanian police spokesman said Dymond may face restrictions on reporting from the country."There are no visa requirements between Great Britain and Lithuania, so it will not be a problem to come back to Lithuania. Of course, as a journalist, he may not be given a permission to visit the Lithuanian president's residence or parliament."

lithium carbonate may help long-term cannabis users

08:02 lithium carbonate 1 Comments

A new study has found that lithium carbonate may help long-term cannabis users quit the drug.The preliminary study showed short-term use of lithium significantly reduced depression, anxiety and other cannabis withdrawal symptoms.
Chief investigator Dr Adam Winstock says while a larger trial will be needed to confirm the findings, the early results are promising.
"There are a significant proportion of heavy cannabis users who do experience withdrawal," he said."At least in the very small, uncontrolled trial, lithium may have the potential to alleviate the discomfort associated with that withdrawal and that's important because it actually might help people quit."
Lithium carbonate has been previously been shown to be help in the treatment of symptoms from cannabis withdrawal.Dr Winstock says if a follow-up trial confirms the results, it will be one of the first studies to show medication can be used to help treat the symptoms of cannabis withdrawal."We hope this preliminary work will lead to a larger scale, multi-site, placebo-controlled study next year," he said."Given that cannabis is the most widely-used illicit drug in the world - and about one in 10 users become dependent on it - the possibility of finding an effective treatment to manage withdrawal is exciting."Twenty regular cannabis users took part in the seven-day program, which involved taking a dose of lithium carbonate daily.Of those participants, 29 per cent did not use marijuana at all in that time.

Buy to let Cannabis factory

07:34 South Wales 0 Comments

John Leaver, and wife Brenda, said he was now wary about who he lets his property out to after discovering the indoor cannabis crop
When buy-to-let landlord John Leaver went to do a spot of maintenance at one of his properties, he expected the garden to be a bit untidy.
But it was the inside of the three-bedroom detached house that was overgrown and Mr Leaver, 64, discovered his retirement investment had been turned into a cannabis factory.The sitting room and two of the bedrooms were carpeted with hundreds of plants with a street value of £100,000, while the rest of the property was being used to store tons of fertiliser.The kitchen had been turned into a bedroom and living space for the "gardener", who fled when the landlord arrived.
There were 50 huge ultra violet lights in the rooms, each with its own newly-fitted power socket.
It is estimated they were using £100 worth of electricity each day although the meter had been bypassed to avoid payment by drawing power straight from the mains supply.The house had been totally cleared of furniture and fittings and Mr Leaver found all his possessions crammed into the garage.Police filled six vans with the plants and equipment used in the industrial-scale cannabis growing operation.
Yesterday they said inquiries were continuing and they had yet to make any arrests.
Mr Leaver, a former mechanical engineer, said that students had previously rented the £180,000 house in Caerleon, South Wales. Then, in early December, a Chinese couple said it was ideal for their purposes."We agreed a rent of £650 a month. The rent was paid into my bank account on time and there were no reports of any problems."Last Tuesday, Mr Leaver arrived to find the front-door lock had been changed, and returned with a ladder."I opened a skylight and got inside. It was pitch black."There was a young Chinese-looking guy standing right in front of me on the landing. I was frightened, and he looked petrified."As the man escaped, Mr Leaver called police who forced the front door and found the huge cannabis haul.Mr Leaver, who owns three other rented-out properties, added: "It has made me wary of the sort of tenant I will rent my houses out to."

Scott Spiezio Let them hear you're really clean and sober

09:29 St. Louis Cardinals 0 Comments

They're pleading now, asking for nothing more than a simple phone call.
Please, they ask, let them know you're OK. Let them hear you're really clean and sober. His closest friends and teammates don't care about Scott Spiezio the baseball player. They care about Scott Spiezio the man.The one they believe is killing himself in front of their very eyes."It's so tough watching one of your friends fall apart," says San Diego Padres center fielder Jim Edmonds, a teammate of Spiezio's the last two years with the St. Louis Cardinals — the team Spiezio left for 36 days late last summer to enter a rehabilitation program for substance abuse.