Login
Related articles
| A higher degree of good mood |
 |
 |
| Features |
| Written by Irina Tzenkova; Translated by Donika Valeva |
| Sunday, 30 November 2008 20:00 |
|
"On Saturday I ate two candies at the party, and together with Pesho we drank a bottle of whiskey. I turn and next to me a girl's not feeling well. She said that she ate just half a candy. And I tell her, 'Hey, how come you bring yourself to such a state just because of half a candy?!'"
The broad daylight of the early afternoon and the elderly people in the yard in front of the apartment block do not disturb the group of 15- and 16-year-old teenagers, who produce this conversation. They speak loudly and with the necessary dose of enthusiasm and pride. The topic under discussion is not their nutritional habits on weekends, nor is it the passion the young have for confectionery. The temptation is ecstasy. This is only one of the three elements of the already established fashion in drugs in recent years. The other two are the expensive cocaine and its cheap alternative - amphetamines. They all fall in the category of the so-called stimulants.
According to the 2008 report of the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction about 71 million Europeans of age 15-64 have tried cannabis at least once in their lives. About 12 million have tried cocaine; 11 million - amphetamines, and about 9.5 million have tried ecstasy. So in terms of drug usage in Europe, the stimulants group is on the second place after marijuana. And while as a whole on the Old continent the usage of amphetamines and ecstasy is reaching a plateau or is even decreasing as cocaine usage increases, in Bulgaria the available and relatively cheap synthetic drugs (ecstasy and amphetamines) win new "fans" and conquer new territories. The most striking difference can be noticed among students from ninth to 12th grade. Between 2003 and 2007, the number of people who say they have used stimulants at least once has risen several times - from 2 to 9 percent when it comes to amphetamines and from 2.5 to 7.5 percent for ecstasy. Despite its high price and mostly because of the image it projects, cocaine also finds a broader market in Bulgaria. In the same age group, there is a growth in its usage from 2.1 to 5.7 percent. The trends in drug usage also create new schemes of drug distribution. The market becomes structured and organized, and as a result, a main target, together with its locations, can be noticed. To notice the emergence of such a phenomenon, all you have to do is go to a party, hosted by a native or visiting DJ.
"In da club"
"[You take] speed because of the company you're with - everybody is euphoric and you're euphoric. You try it, you like it, and you continue. Plus, you can drink a lot. It also lowers alcohol levels if you're pulled over by the cops." The tone which Joro uses is far less emotional than the one of the previously mentioned group of teenagers. For him, cocaine, speed [amphetamines], and candies [ecstasy] have only been a source of additional income during the last four to five years. He is a dealer. ... "Candies are sold mostly in clubs," he explains. To get them you don't even have to wait in line, ... cocaine and mostly speed gather the crowds openly.
[Those who take coke] are rather a minority because the greater part of party fans in Bulgaria cannot afford to pay 140 levs per gram (the new prices). On the other hand, without having to save too much pocket money, you can get a piece of candy for 10, 12, 15 levs (depending on "the effect") or a small ball of amphetamines for 10 levs. ... "[In] fact, in Bulgaria real ecstasy is scarce. People just use amphetamines in a different package," says Yulian Karadzhov, author of several books about drugs. "It's difficult to make ecstasy because its ingredients are hard to find," Tihomir Bezlov from the Center for the Study of Democracy says. In fact, according to specialists, Bulgarian street amphetamines probably have the lowest quality level in Europe. That is why its distribution is scaled down to the borders of the country or for export in the Middle East. The dealers themselves admit that "there are some who split the drug so they can get additional money." Most of the people acquainted with the business know that in addition to the (not so high) percentage of pure narcotic substances, drugs on the market always contain various kinds of medicine such as painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, and other pharmaceutical products.
A powder deal
The popularity of stimulants as a party drug turns DJ parties into the greatest goldmine for distributors. At such events "whatever you take, that's what you sell, you go back home, you take more and you leave again without any left-overs," our dealer says. Logically, not everyone in the branch can have access to such a prosperous territory. The organized trade of cocaine and synthetic drugs is managed by a certain circle of people, well-known under the code name of "The Firm." Everyone who works on his or her own and is not subordinate to the network is a "crook." ... "The Firm" maintains established business relations with the bigger night clubs. Its members offer synthetic drugs and cocaine at parties. "At the end of the evening, after you count the turnover, you give 30 percent to the guards," is how Joro explains the mechanism. ... Naturally, the drug market is not restrained only to weekends and to the specific music events and locations. Everyone who wants to get a dose in advance or to have a treat without a special occasion can order by phone. "Seventy percent of students have the number of at least one dealer," says Joro. Passwords and telephone numbers are distributed in several stages and in a web-like manner. When a dealer starts to work for someone, the person higher up in the hierarchy gives out his number and sends him clients. The new dealer then turns the wheel through word-of-mouth advertising. "The Firm" stands behind them and protects them. By having their own people in the police, the management of "The Firm" learns about bugged phones (the numbers of which are quickly changed) and upcoming inspections. And if somebody happens to get arrested after all, they get him out quickly. However, so that the police look like they are doing their job and so that some sort of activity is registered, it happens regularly so that "The Firm" finds several scapegoats among the newer dealers or clients. "Very often new dealers are hired as a bait - for a month or two, then they are given to the police," Karadzhov says, referring to the risks of the profession. ... And apparently,
Heroin is out of fashion
The trends in drugs change on a random rotational principle. ... [Karadzhov said he thinks that] in addition to the consecutive alternation, another reason for the amphetamine rush is the presence ... of incompetence and a casual perception (even among medics) of amphetamines as a harmless substance. Tihomir Bezlov thinks that the sequence of party clubs that opened at the end of the 1990s also plays its part in the way the types of drugs have changed, together with the model of and motives for usage. Another important factor is also the drastic increase in the prices of cannabis as a result of a monopolization of the market. The time when "a joint cost one lev" (in the mid-1990s) could be compared with today, when a gram of marijuana could be found for record prices, reaching 30 levs. This is a prerequisite which leads a big portion of young people with limited financial resources to reach towards the cheaper amphetamines and ecstasy. ... Being a country that is not so "prosperous," Bulgaria is not at the top of the lists of the greatest consumers of synthetic drugs, according to the European report. This information, however, should not be reassuring because our country has for a long time now reaffirmed its position of one that is constantly catching up. And when it comes to stimulants, the pace is more energetic.
Published with omissions. Click here to go to the original article.
© Economedia, published with permission.
|
Comments