‘Spice users’ slumped as children play nearby
SHOCKING footage has emerged of people who appear to be under the influence of the drug spice in a city centre park.
The video was taken in Cardiff’s Bute Park on Friday by a passer-by who asked to not be named.
It shows four people sitting in the park – one of who is slumped on the floor and one bent double while sat on a small wall.
Around them, people are trying to have picnics and children are playing.
The people in the video appear almost lifeless with no comprehension of what’s going on around them.
The person who took the video said: “You can see in the video people are having lunch in the background and children playing nearby.
“These guys unfortunately are using the zombie drug, spice, as the one in blue told me.
“We are starting to see more and more use of this drug.”
He said they were completely unaware that he was filming them and they later went back into town.
In May, South Wales Police issued a warning about the dangers of Spice after an 11-year-old boy was hospitalised after allegedly being spiked with the drug.
At the time the force said spice was presenting a “significant challenge” to the force and described it as “highlyunpredictable and dangerous”.
Logan Johns-Evans, from Bridgend, was left in a zombie-like state after it was claimed that a roll-up cigarette he had been smoking was laced with the synthetic drug without his knowledge.
His mother Jade Johns said her son reacted as though a “monster had taken over his body”.
He was taken to the Princess of Wales Hospital, in Bridgend, where a clinical decision was made that Logan was suffering from the effects of spice, which can cause fast heart rate, vomiting, confusion and violent behaviour.
The drug has become notorious over the last year or two because users under its influence have been pictured and filmed in towns and cities around Wales with their bodies apparently fixed in rigid conditions while slumped over. They are often described as “zombie-like”.
In June an image also circulated on social media that appeared to show a group of men on the ground under the apparent effects of the drug.
The photo was taken in Bridgend town centre at around 5pm. Two of the men were captured on the floor and one was slumped on a bench, while passers-by continued with their shopping and a child played nearby.
In a statement released earlier this year, Superintendent Alun Morgan of South Wales Police said: “Spice has presented a significant challenge to police forces and partner agencies across the UK.
“This includes the demand on drug support agencies, the ambulance service and hospitals.
“The highly-unpredictable and dangerous drug is a new and emerging illegal substance which is reportedly highly addictive. It is probable that there are a number of users that didn’t know this when they first started to use it.
“We have made a number of arrests and targeted suppliers for dealing this illegal drug and we are working with the prison service to stamp out this crime.
“Very often the solution to these problems can be found in the community, therefore, we would urge the public to come forward and provide police with valuable information to allow us to target those who prey on the vulnerable users.
“However, it is also useful to remember that speculation about the use of spice isn’t advisable because incidents of its use remains very low indeed for a number of areas in south Wales.
“Nevertheless, we shouldn’t show complacency, which is why we would like to encourage anyone with information about any drug dealing, including spice, to contact us on 101, or you can call Crimestoppers, free and anonymously, on 0800 555 111.”
■ What is spice and why is it so dangerous?: Page 22