ONLINE MONITORING UNCOVERS PSEUDOEPHEDRINE SYNDICATE
7 May 2010
Media Conference - Adelaide International Airport
Subject: Online Monitoring Uncovers Pseudoephedrine Syndicate
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Good morning. I'm here at Adelaide Airport with the Member for Hindmarsh, Steve Georganas, to emphasise the real dangers of importing pseudoephedrine online - because what we know is that cold and flu tablets can be a precursor for methamphetamines. And for that reason the Government's been very hardline on preventing people bringing in cold and flu tablets in significant quantities.
There are organised criminals who are willing to buy cold and flu tablets from people to use as precursor drugs to allow amphetamine to be made and sold on our streets, in Adelaide and other parts of Australia.
For that reason, Customs and Border Protection has been vigilant, working very hard to ensure that we prevent large quantities of cold and flu tablets being imported online.
Only this week, on Tuesday, there were four houses raided in north Adelaide where we uncovered 35,000 tablets. Those tablets could well have been used to provide organised criminals in the city with the capacity to make some methamphetamine drugs which would be distributed on our streets.
For that reason, I applaud the efforts of Customs and Border Protection and I also send a general warning to the public that they are not in a position to be ordering cold and flu tablets online if it has pseudoephedrine as part of its content, and that they need permission of the Department of Health. The importation of even as little as 28 tablets could be considered a marketable quantity and there could be serious consequences for the person who ordered it.
We've had to put in place monitoring and regulation of people buying cold and flu tablets in chemists. We now have a situation where people who are ordering more than one box might be asked why they do would do that - they may even need a script. We've done that because we know that organised criminals seek to have others purchase cold and flu tablets that they can make into illegal drugs.
So this is a general warning, but it's also recognition of the very good work of Customs and Border Protection in seizing the 35,000 tablets and effectively ensuring that fewer drugs are on our streets, protecting our young and protecting those people who unfortunately, on some occasions, become dependent on drugs. Any questions?
QUESTION: [Inaudible question]
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Yes, before us here is indeed a sample of those drugs. What we do know is they come in from a whole variety of places around the world. Cold and flu tablets ordered online in this display have come out Europe and also Canada where there's online purchasing of pseudoephedrine.
So this is what we have to be careful of. We have to ensure that people understand that it is unlawful to order online significant quantities of pseudoephedrine. Even 28 tablets could be viewed as a marketable quantity, and therefore people need to understand that they cannot order bulk tablets online and expect law enforcement agencies not to respond.
QUESTION: How many people have been arrested over…?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: At this point, this is the gathering of the evidence and the matter is being dealt with by the Director of Public Prosecutions. There have been no charges laid. But the fact that we have such significant quantities of cold and flu tablets, the law enforcement authorities conclude that in these circumstances it's very likely that this was brought together in order to provide the precursor drug to organised criminals in order to for them to cook up amphetamine drugs.
And that's the danger here: seeing a rather benign drug- cold and flu tablets- used for a good public purpose, assisting in the relief of people if they've got a cold or flu. The fact is that large quantities of this can be a contributing element to illegal or illicit drugs.
QUESTION: So what are the penalties [indistinct] large penalties?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: There are fines that can apply. But can I just say at this time that charges haven't been laid, but the Director of Public Prosecution is looking at offences that apply in these circumstances.
What we want to do is ensure that innocent people don't get caught up in illegal activity. We know that people are approached and asked to order online a significant number - perhaps 200 tablets. That in itself is an offence, because it would be seen as a marketable quantity, but also it leads to a much larger operation. So if you have 50 people ordering 200 tablets - that would be a sufficient quantity collectively to provide organised criminals in this city, and other cities in Australia, the capacity to cook up and make amphetamine drugs.
That's what we have to avoid. That's why we monitor the purchasing of cold and flu tablets closely now in pharmacies, and that's why we are giving a general warning to the public not to order significant quantities of cold and flu tablets online.
QUESTION: [Indistinct question]
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: This is one of the bigger seizures in Adelaide, and that's why I wanted to commend the fine work of Customs and Border Protection. Most of the seizures occur as a result of the cooperation of a number of agencies. Usually intelligence leads us to gathering information, identifying where people are seeking to act unlawfully, and it usually is a result of the work of Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Police, the Australian Crime Commission, and the state law enforcement agencies.
Customs and Border Protection here were successful. They secured warrants and seized these tablets. One tablet on its own is not a problem, as we know. People use these legitimately. But in large quantities, they will be used by organised criminals to make methamphetamine and therefore distribute illicit drugs on our streets.
QUESTION: [Indistinct question]
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: They were seized in the homes in Adelaide. Because there have been no charges laid, I can't say much more than that, but it is a significant quantity. Of course, what it is providing is an element that organised criminals need to make significant illicit drugs.
QUESTION: [Indistinct question]
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: If we have our law enforcement agencies and other intelligence agencies along with Customs and Border Protection working together, we are far more effective. We have a very good working relationship with the South Australian Police, and the Australian Federal Police and with all the law enforcement agencies in this country.
We also have the cooperation of our counterparts overseas. We have to be working internationally and transnationally to make sure that we clamp down on this activity. We know that organised criminals operate globally and regionally, and law enforcement agencies and Customs and Border Protection have to do the same.
QUESTION: Can you at least tell us how many people were involved?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: There were four houses. At this point, charges haven't been laid but I can say to you there was of course therefore at least four. But until charges have been laid, I don't want to say much more than that. What I can say, though, is that this is a very large haul of cold and flu tablets, and it's a very strong likelihood that this was to be used for illicit purposes.
And this today, the reason why we've come out so early today, before charges were laid, is to firstly to commend the work of Customs and Border Protection, but to give a general warning to the public not to get involved in ordering cold and flu tablets online. They might find themselves in serious trouble.
QUESTION: Are you suggesting that these drugs are actually being ordered by people that don't know this is…?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Both I think. First I think I believe that there will be some people who might be approached in a public place, in a pub, saying, why don't you order 10 boxes? If you've got 100 people ordering 10 boxes, you suddenly get a large quantity.
They may not know that that's actually a marketable quantity and therefore might attract an offence. There are others, clearly, who must be aware of their behaviour and must have some intent to risk importing such quantities. So there are some innocent people who get caught up on this and there are others I'm sure who are acting criminally.
ENDS
Media Contact: Belinda Cole 0438 595 or Customs and Border Protection Media 02 6275 6793
