Boys’ Russian roulette

Man arrested in tainted drug case

THREE Hillcrest teenagers played Russian roulette with their lives this week after swallowing designer drugs mixed by unscrupulous dealers.

They are believed to have taken tablets called “Mitsubishi” which resulted in convulsions and hospitalisation.

In March this year three teenagers died in KwaMashu and several others were hospitalised after taking a drug known as “Mercedes”. Following this, Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo said he had been shocked by the speed at which “killer drugs” were spreading across the province

Since the KwaMashu deaths, police have been deployed around Durban to raid suspected drug dens as they try to get to the dealers and manufacturers of the deadly “Mercedes” drug.

Hawks spokesman, Simphiwe Mhlongo, said police were now working to catch the runners after the arrest of a Nigerian in Pinetown.

According to experts “Mercedes” and “Mitsubishi” are ecstasy-based but with different pills under the same brand having different ingredients in varying amounts.

This can lead to the risk of a user taking identical-looking pills that collectively might be weak on one occasion but so strong on another that they could cause an overdose, added South African National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence (Sanca) senior information officer, Claire Savage.

Private investigator Brad Nathanson said while he and his wife, Esme, prayed at the one Hillcrest teen’s hospital bedside, they would have thought he was dead “if it wasn’t for the fact that we could hear the beeping of the heart monitor”.

Two of his friends, who were with him on Wednesday night, were also hospitalised.

Two others friends appeared to have fled the scene and not taken the drugs upon seeing the three go into convulsions, he added.

Nathanson said the boys became very ill very soon after taking the drug and were rescued by a security guard.

His Facebook page was abuzz with posts, some of which expressed beliefs that it was more likely the teenagers had consumed spiked drinks rather than wilfully taken drugs.

The boys were admitted to Crompton Hospital in Pinetown, which would not comment on the matter.

Police confirmed that a man has been arrested in Pinetown for possession of 10 “Mercedes” tablets as well as cocaine.

Nathanson warned that “Mercedes” and “Mitsubishi” were dangerous home-concocted products to which was added “anything that will give you a buzz”.

“You have no idea what’s in them,” he said.

“The dealers act with impunity. They don’t care what’s inside the tablets they sell. The kids are playing Russian roulette.”

Savage of Sanca said “Mercedes” had become popular in recent years, especially in townships where it is known as umgwinyo.

“Its attraction is that it is relatively cheap and people quite like the energy they get from it, so it attracts party animals,” she said.

“It’s different to whoonga, which makes one drowsy.”