Crime gangs flood Victoria with lethal designer ‘benzos’

This highly addictive pill is flooding the state — and it’s killing more Victorians than all other illegal drugs combined.

Crime gangs are flooding the state with black market imported Xanax, a pill that is killing more Victorians than all other illegal drugs combined.

A Herald Sun investigation has found the highly addictive benzodiazepine drug is being trafficked in Melbourne via social media for $10 a tablet, in doses double the safe legally prescribed level.

Illegal designer “benzos” were almost unheard of before 2018, but now they have become the most lethal form of new generation underground drugs in Victoria.

It comes as the rate of benzodiazepine prescriptions by the nation’s doctors has declined a third in less than a decade. This indicates crime syndicates are increasingly importing the drug.

However, it is heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine that remain the major priorities for law enforcement and border control authorities.

Benzodiazepines have killed 1436 Victorians in the past five years — more than the combined total for all other illegal drugs, which stands at 1335 deaths.

An online ad for Xanax in the Hawthorn-Glenferrie area.

An online advertisement offering Xanax in the Hawthorn-Glenferrie area is suspected of being just one of many run by dealers in Melbourne.

It offers the pills for between $10 each and $300 per bottle with free delivery thrown in as part of the sales pitch.

One Melbourne mother said her teenage son lost his memory, suffered black-outs and ended up behind bars after descending into Xanax use.

“That’s where I lost my son. He didn’t remember me,” the mum said.

Victoria Police said benzodiazepines and other abuse-prone pharmaceuticals were an increasing part of the state’s illicit drug market.

“The associated harm caused by the illegal use and supply of these substances (is) a significant concern for Victoria Police,” a spokesman said.

Last July a Victoria’s coroner’s report warned of a growing issue of “new psychoactive substances” — including illegal forms of benzodiazepines — which “contributed to more overdose deaths in 2020 than in any previous year”.

The Coroner’s Court said it was concerned about the rising rate of overdose deaths from benzodiazepines and novel psychoactive substances, which mimic the effects of drugs.

“Many of these deaths are currently being investigated by coroners to identify how these drugs have contributed to deaths and potential prevention opportunities,” a statement from the court said.

“The issues regarding benzodiazepines and NPS benzodiazepines are complex – including monitoring, access and use.”

Much of the benzodiazepine being trafficked is suspected of being smuggled into Australia in cargo or arriving in the post.

Frontline drug treatment workers have told the Herald Sun they are seeing the consequences of “designer benzos” purchased illegally and thought to have come from overseas.

They say the drugs are sometimes labelled as Xanax, though there is no indication of what is actually contained in the pills or what dosage they really are.

Janet Shaw, who manages Victoria’s only specialist benzodiazepine treatment service Reconnexion, said the emergence of illegal Xanax-type drugs added to the already massive burden of prescription drug dependency.

“It’s very concerning for us,” Ms Shaw said.

“When they’re getting them off the street or on the dark web, we’ve got no control of that process. We can’t manage their withdrawal safely.

“It’s not regulated and because there’s no prescriber, we can’t then safely get their life back for them.

“It’s increasing and, unfortunately, the people who are obtaining drugs in that way are saying it’s pretty easy.”

Of the 4551 overdose deaths in Victoria between 2011 and 2020, benzodiazepines were involved in 2,451 cases, or 53 per cent.

In 2011, Ambulance Victoria paramedics were called to more than 4643 benzodiazepine overdoses before a crackdown on prescriptions saw that number drop below 3000 in 2014.

Although the 2014 crackdown saw the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee stop short of banning Xanax (alprazolam) altogether, a recategorisation saw prescriptions immediately drop by one-third.

Following another surge in overdoses, the PBS banned the sale of 2mg alprazolam tablets in February 2017 — meaning 1mg Xanax tablets are the highest dosage that can legally be sold. Lower 500 and 250 microgram concentrations are also available on prescription, particularly for those being slowly weaned off their medication.

Despite the action, benzodiazepine overdose rates have constantly increased in the years since the 2014 drop, resulting in 4888 ambulance callouts in 2020 alone.

And in spite of the bans, drugs labelled as “Xanax 2mg tablets” are now being advertised through the dark web for collection in suburban Melbourne.

Anyone concerned about their own or a loved one’s benzodiazepine use can contact Reconnexion’s support line during business hours on 1300 273 266.

BENZOS PART OF HUGE DRUG MARKET

Police say benzodiazepines are increasingly intertwined in Victoria’s huge illicit drug market.

And the case of Savio Mansour and Angelo Odisho provides a prime example of where traditional dealers are looking to cash in on the availability of and demand for Xanax.

Mansour, 23, and Odisho, 22, operated their business from the garage of a Roxburgh Park home where they offloaded drug trade staples, such as cocaine, cannabis, MDMA and methamphetamine.

They sold 3.5g of cocaine to an undercover officer for $1200 after police in the north western suburbs launched an organised crime probe into their activities.

When police made their move in June, 2020, it was clear Xanax was a significant element of their business model.

Mansour had been advertising in a Facebook chat group called “Mel Needz Stub” where he was flogging the drug for $250.

Police later alleged he had sold 116 bottles of Xanax and that Oshido trafficked 96, adding up to combined potential sales of $28,000.

The pair, both now jailed, were ultimately found to have moved a total of 840g of meth and 195g of cocaine.

Savio Mansour. Picture: Facebook

Angelo Odisho.

Much of the benzodiazepine being trafficked is suspected of being smuggled into Australia in cargo or arriving in the post.

But there are still cases of the domestic health system being abused.

A pharmacist was last year found to have used falsified patient records to obtain 33,000 Xanax tablets in a three-year period.

And an information technology expert faced a court accused of using his skills to forge scripts and trawling chemist shops in the eastern suburbs for Xanax.

A Victoria Police spokesman said benzodiazepines and other “abuse-prone” pharmaceutical drugs were an emerging issue on numerous fronts.

The force said it was regularly arresting offenders for trafficking those substances who also had interests in dealing methamphetamine and heroin.

“Whether it’s responding to an overdose death, a fatal collision caused by an impaired driver or arresting someone dealing prescription medication to fund further criminal activity, our officers are well aware of the dangers.

“There are heavy penalties, including jail terms, for trafficking prescription drugs but police say law enforcement is not the sole answer and that they will continue to work with the health and education sectors.

“Drug use is a whole-of-community issue which requires a collaborative approach to address,” the spokesman said.

He added: “Education, prevention and early intervention initiatives, as well as referrals into treatment, are all vital in addressing the issue of drug harm.”

Those working the coal face say they constantly see the impact of the wave of benzodiazepine abuse.

“These pills seem to go under the radar. Combined with alcohol use, these kids are doing things they don’t even know they’ve done,” veteran youth worker Les Twentyman said.