| Yaba is a derivative of synthetic Amphetamines
such as speed and can be manufactured far more quickly and easily
than traditional forms of amphetamines. The recipe has spread from
the Far East by word of mouth and on the Internet. We've experienced
some difficulty getting a consistent description of ingredients and
effects, with some reports stating that the drug is mostly methamphetamine,
running 80% pure with much of the cut being cast off from Heroin production.
The main ingredients, which include salt,
household cleaning products, distilled cold medicines and lithium
from camera batteries, can be bought legally and the drug can easily
be knocked out at home with a couple of casserole dishes and a hob.
It is known as 'crazy medicine' pronounced
yar bah. Now Yaba a new drug more popular than Heroin in parts of
the Far East, and is heading for Britain, amid warnings that it
could supersede Ecstasy as the drug of choice for the country's
clubbers. Yaba has become increasingly popular in the Far East amongst
claims that the drug is now bigger than Heroin in Thailand.
This drug, which creates an intense hallucinogenic
effect and can enable users to stay awake for days on end, was originally
created by German chemists instructed by Adolf Hitler to find a
stimulant that would help his soldiers to fight around the clock.
Drug experts are warning that Britain is
being targeted by Yaba producers operating out of the so-called
Golden Triangle - the drug producing areas which straddle the borders
of Thailand, Burma and Laos.
Packages of a drug thought to be Yaba were
intercepted at Heathrow Airport. There have been other recent seizures
in France and Ireland, and there is evidence that illegal laboratories
in the United Kingdom are attempting to make it.
The rewards for criminals can be huge. Around
£300 pounds of raw materials can make Yaba worth more than
£2,000 at British street prices. Since the equipment needed
is portable, labs can be moved on a regular basis, making it more
difficult for police to track them down.
The so-called Nazi method of making Yaba
was first noticed in Thailand more than 30 years ago. At the time
it was legal and would be sold at petrol stations alongside soft
drinks and cigarettes. Long-distance lorry drivers would pop the
pills to help them work through the night. Possession and supply
of Yaba was criminalized in 1970, but the market simply went underground.
While it is true that Yaba is cheaper and
easier to produce than the current club drug of choice, Ecstasy
(MDMA), this cannot be the only reason for the rise of the drug.
After all, these are two very different kinds of drugs. Yaba, as
you will find out, causes disturbing hallucinations. Ecstasy, on
the other hand, is known to produce a euphoric effect, causing the
users to have strong feelings of warmth and "connection"
to those around them.
Demand for the drug in Britain is being fuelled
by holiday makers returning from the Far East, who talked about
the intense high it induces.
|