Sydney high on cocaine as ice takes hold across Australia

EXCLUSIVE: Sydney is officially Australia’s cocaine capital, with daily use of the party drug double that of other states. The most detailed investigation into drugs in the country focused on testing wastewater at 51 sewage treatment plants.

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SYDNEY is officially the cocaine capital of Australia with the most ­detailed investigation into our drug use also revealing the deadly meth-yl­amphetamine ice is being used at epidemic levels across the nation.

Oxycodone, commonly known as “hillbilly heroin”, and the highly addictive drug fentanyl were also found to be at “concerning levels” across all states and territories, but especially in the bush.

The damning findings are contained in the first real-time national snapshot of drug use obtained from sampling wastewater at 51 sewage treatment plants — servicing 14 million Australians — in city and ­regional areas across the country.

Sunday Telegraph

Driven by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) in conjunction with university researchers, the testing is being undertaken as part of the National Ice Taskforce’s investigation on the widespread use of illicit drugs.

Of the 13 drug types tested, NSW topped the list for cocaine with ­double the amount of the party drug used in Sydney compared with other capital cities.

“Cocaine consumption in capital city sites in NSW dominated the ­national landscape, being almost double the next highest region in terms of doses consumed per day,” the report said.

But it found the deadly drug ice dominating the national landscape.

Among illicit drugs methylamphetamine consumption was the highest across all regions.

“From an international perspective, methylamphetamine levels in Australia rank high compared to countries in Europe where waste-water analysis is routinely conducted,” the report found.

Sunday Telegraph

The analysis found spikes in ­cocaine use on weekends, with ice and prescription painkillers used consistently each day.

Ice use is at a “historic high” in Western Australia in city and ­regional sites, with levels above the national average. High levels of ice were also found in regional Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania.

Oxycodone, a prescription drug with known abuse potential, was found at “numerous regional sites” where levels were double that of the capital city national average.

Fentanyl, the drug believed to have caused the death of musician Prince, is also being used at concerning levels in the bush, especially in regional NSW.

Across all legal and illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco dominated.

Sydney was found to be Australia’s centre of most cocaine use. Picture: iStock

The Northern Territory had the highest alcohol consumption, with the analysis showing up to 6600 drinks per 1000 people daily.

Tobacco consumption was also highest in the NT and at regional sites in Tasmania and Queensland.

The study found low levels of newer psychoactive substances, confirming these remain a niche market across Australia.

In the past, the government has relied on self-report user surveys, seizure and arrest data and medical statistics to determine the extent of drug use.

The move to wastewater analysis will paint a more accurate picture given that most consumed drugs entering the bloodstream end up in sewage treatment plants.

“We are detecting more and larger seizures of drugs but it is not making a dent in the drug trade.”

ACIC chief executive Chris Dawson, who will release the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program Report today, said the findings demonstrated the need for a greater focus on demand reduction as police worked on reducing supply.

“The findings ... are a baseline that will be built upon in subsequent reports to uncover a national picture of drug consumption,” Mr Dawson said.

Researchers tested for the different drug types at 29 sites in regional areas and 22 in the capital cities.

While site locations have not been revealed, 10 were in NSW, ­including one in the ACT. Waste-water from those sites will be monitored for the next three years to compare with the baseline results.

Justice Minister Michael Keenan said the report would change how authorities tackled the ice scourge.

“The results provide us with the greatest ever insight into what drugs are being consumed and where, with the covert testing covering 58 per cent of Australia’s population,” he said.

“This is critical baseline data, the first of nine tests to be conducted over the next three years, which will ensure we can better target our law enforcement and health responses.

“The report’s findings drive home the message that we can simply not arrest our way out of this problem — we  must  tackle the demand for ­illicit drugs.”

State and federal law enforcement sources told The Sunday Telegraph they had been told the data showed the drug problem in Australia was escalating to the point of ­crisis.

“The report will confirm what most police already know and that is drug use is out of control,” a source said. “We are detecting more and larger seizures of drugs but it is not making a dent in the drug trade.”

While this study focused on 51 sites, all wastewater treatment operators across Australia had been ­invited to take part, the report said.