Rave to the grave (From Western Telegraph)

Rave to the grave

In March last year, 2,000 ecstacy pills were intercepted in Pembroke Dock on their way to the club scene in South Pembrokeshire. This is just the tip of the iceberg. In this feature, Western Telegraph reporter Patrick Alexander looks at the impact of the drugs trade on the countys young people.

Ecstasy is Pembrokeshires second most widely used illegal drug after cannabis, according to Dyfed-Powys Police.

An influx of low quality amphetamines over the last few months has led to an increase in the popularity of ecstasy, as amphetamine users look for a substitute.

Detective Sergeant John Davies, head of the Pembrokeshire Drug Squad, said: There is an ecstasy problem in the county as there is throughout Britain.

Local dealers are definitely aiming at the youth market - whoever will buy, as long as they have the money to pay for it. Ecstasy use runs from the early teens right up to the elderly, although most drugs seizures have involved people in their early twenties.

Ecstasy is often made to look attractive to the younger user through the use of logos on tablets.

According to Detective Sergeant Davies, there is evidence that free samples of ecstasy are being given out to get young people interested in the drug. Ecstasy is becoming more affordable to the young, with the cost of a pill now firmly within the price range of most schoolchildren.

Detective Sergeant Davies said: When it first appeared on the scene, a pill would cost around £15. Now, if there is a lot around, it can be as cheap as £4, with £8 being a stable figure. As with most things, though, it is getting cheaper.

Ecstasy is an adrenaline-pumping drug which gives energy. It is amphetamine based and has become, in a way, a substitute for amphetamines.

Ecstacy is aimed at people who want energy to dance all night - people who have been working all day and are tired and dont want to be falling asleep at nine oclock.

Unlike heroin or cocaine, ecstasy is not a very expensive drug and people who are working will be able to keep up a low-level habit. If their use escalates, it is possible they may be forced into petty crime such as shoplifting and car theft to feed that habit. Overall, however, the levels of drug-related crime linked to ecstasy use are lower than those linked with more expensive drugs.

Detective Sergeant Davies said: The main risk for the people taking it is the medical risk. It is a very, very dangerous drug which could cost a life. Young people have died because they have taken a bad pill.

For the police force, success in tackling ecstasy relies on the pro-active efforts of Pembrokeshires dedicated drug squad.

All officers play a part in tackling the problem through the use of their stop and search powers. However, these searches tend to pick out users, carrying small amounts, rather than dealers.

Some of the most visible drug detection operations in Pembrokeshire have been centred around dance events.

Detective Sergeant Davies said: The police presence at these events mainly serves as a deterrent. No large seizures have been made because people know we are there and know they are likely to be searched.

Evolution organiser, Tom Sinclair, said: Ecstasy is definitely not a problem at Evolution. If they take drugs before they come in then thats outside our remit as organisers, but we do ten times more than we are required to stop drugs getting into the club. We put six extra doormen on the door to search everyone on the way in. On the occasions where ecstasy has been found, it has been one or two pills.

Evolution organisers invite the police to come and search the premises with dogs before each event to check for drugs which may have been stashed beforehand. The police have taken them up on this offer four times so far.

Ecstasy is being dealt with outside Pembrokeshires clubs. The vast majority is changing hands in the homes of the users who have placed orders by mobile phone. While serious traffickers are involved in bringing drugs into the county, the drug is distributed on a small scale through friends and acquaintances. The typical dealer when stopped by police is more likely to be found with 50 pills than 1,000 and more likely to spend a year in jail than the maximum life sentence.

Detective Sergeant Davies and his drug squad face an uphill battle in trying to track down the serious traffickers. Despite this, every middleman convicted gives the message that, despite softening public attitudes towards the drug, ecstasy is still being tackled head-on by local police.