New party drug arrives with a big 'miaow'

Paylaş
DRUG smugglers targeted Victoria with a massive shipment of a dangerous new party drug, nicknamed "miaow", which causes some users to self-mutilate.


Australian Federal Police intercepted over 23kg of the drug this week as part of a nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking through the mail.


Ninety-five per cent of the drug, stuffed inside children's toys and nappies, was sent to Victoria.

The South American crime syndicate also sent parcels to Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania.

Robert Rye, a nurse who works with addicts through Melbourne's First Step Program, says miaow has been popular in the rave scene, especially in the UK, but he's yet to hear users specifically mention it.

But, he says, dealers could be putting it on the market to test the reactions in users.

"We've seen that before, with the dealers just putting it out there, that people are being guinea pigs on it," he told AAP today.

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"And some people, if they don't like it would just put it down to it being a bad batch and not realise it."

Side-effects of the drug can include circulatory problems with numb and blue-coloured hands, nose and ears, he said, as well as palpitations and paranoia.

Medical authorities have yet to tally statistics on overdoses and complications on miaow.

Many users may also not know what they've actually taken when they overdose, hospital officials say.

The party drug is called 4-methylmethcathinone but is more commonly known as 4-MMC, mephedrone or on the street "miaow".

It's a prohibited substance in Australia but is available legally in some countries across Europe.

The drug is a cheap and popular alternative to ecstasy but there are fears its usage could lead to serious addictions and horrible side-effects.

"It is a dangerous drug, no question about it," AFP Assistant Commissioner Kevin Zuccato said today.

"There have been dangerous deaths linked to miaow."

In Sydney, users have been taken to hospital after cutting their fingers in half, attempting castrations and circumcisions.

The death of a Swedish woman two years ago and a teenager in England last year have also been linked to the drug.

The drug first appeared in Australia in 2008 with police and customs officials detecting 25 attempts to import the drug.