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Police keep tabs on drug deals through Internet
NZ Herald Fri, 14 Aug 1998
New Zealanders are using the Internet to do drug deals and trade
information -
and the authorities can do little about it. Police say monitoring Web
sites and
chat lines is difficult, and tough border control is the best way to
stamp out
drugs ordered on-line. "We know there are overseas Web sites selling
drugs and
we keep an eye on them," said Detective Inspector Cam Ronald,
coordinator of
the National Drug Intelligence Bureau in Wellington. "Anyone can set up
an anonymous account, which is hard to trace - but we have done it."
He said overseas Web sites offered mostly cannabis, amphetamines and
pills.
Drug users turned to the Internet when local supply ran out or because
they did
not have local contacts. Customs gathered intelligence on drug
transactions via
the Internet and this was the best way to stop them entering the
country. Mr
Ronald said no local Web sites were selling drugs. The Internet offers
more than
one million listings on cannabis, including growing techniques.
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