Meth problem in Adelaide’s southern suburbs needs far more funding, experts say

A police investigation into murders likely by drug dealers in Adelaide’s southern suburbs has highlighted the lack of help for meth addicts in the area.

Drug and alcohol abusers are not receiving enough support to get clean and it is contributing to the southern suburbs’ methamphetamine problem, a peak prevention body says.

South Australian Drug and Alcohol Services Network executive director Michael White said methamphetamine levels in southern suburbs wastewater testing had not decreased in the past few years.

He put the steady rate down to a lack of drug and alcohol support services in the area and, until funding increased, it “will get no better”.

It comes as detectives investigate whether 72 drug overdoses in the southern suburbs were staged murders committed by a group of brutal drug dealers.

“What you will see is people … not getting treatment and then falling back into dependent use,” Mr White said.

“That complicates matters because instead of there being a reduced number of people using methamphetamine, the number of people using remains somewhat stable.”

It prompted the organisation to start an election campaign to secure more funding, which would go towards intervention services.

“Until there is more drug and alcohol funding for support and treatment services the problem wont be resolved anytime soon,” Mr White said.

SA Police said the murderers of Trevor King, 41, Jeff Mundy, 36, and Robert Atkins, 31, were committed by “low to mid-level dealers and petty criminals who act like thugs and bullies”.

Trevor King, Robert Atkins and Jeff Mundy are believed to have died at the hands of drug dealers in the southern suburbs.

It comes as recent wastewater drug testing at all Adelaide’s four sewage collection stations showed methamphetamine use in South Australia had hit record levels. Drug and Alcohol Services Network SA could not provide a breakdown for the southern suburbs.

In 2019, SA drug and alcohol rehabilitation services received a $20m federal government boost to deal with the state’s ice epidemic, which included money for the Onkaparinga region.

Onkaparinga deputy mayor Simon McMahon called on state and federal governments for more funding for intervention programs.

He said putting more money into reducing the area’s methamphetamine problem would take pressure off local hospitals.

“If you used to go to our hospitals on a Saturday night, they were full of footy socks and everyone who got injured playing sport on a Saturday,” Mr McMahon said.

“But now they are full of security guards arming beds of patients with mental health issues who are self medicating through methamphetamine – it is a fundamental and growing issue here.”

The federal government will invest more than $880m until July 2024 to help with drug and alcohol treatment services. A federal government spokesman said funding for treatment services under the National Ice Action Strategy was being considered.