0:00:02 > 0:00:06This programme contains some strong language and some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10'All over the world, hundreds of thousands of people are fighting a hidden war.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12'How it ends could affect us all. It's the war on drugs.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17'Despite a recent crackdown,
0:00:17 > 0:00:20'use of many drugs is continuing to spiral.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23'So, I'm travelling across three continents
0:00:23 > 0:00:27'to investigate the latest drugs to hit the market.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31'I want to know who's really behind the narcotics trade.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33'And what the authorities are doing to stamp it out.
0:00:35 > 0:00:36'In South Africa,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39'I uncover a new stronger strain of cannabis
0:00:39 > 0:00:40'being smuggled to Britain.'
0:00:40 > 0:00:43This is going to E16, East London.
0:00:43 > 0:00:44But I know exactly where that is.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47'I travel to Mexico
0:00:47 > 0:00:49'where I discover brutal cartels
0:00:49 > 0:00:52'making methamphetamine on an industrial scale.'
0:00:52 > 0:00:54I mean, you see how tiny it is on that knife
0:00:54 > 0:00:57and then you see how many huge bags we've got here.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Gives you an indication of how many people
0:00:59 > 0:01:01would get very high off of this.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03'Tonight, I investigate the changing face
0:01:03 > 0:01:06'of the world's best selling dance drug - ecstasy.'
0:01:06 > 0:01:08So, you can literally throw anything in,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11and to the kids on the street, aw, it looks spot on.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13Exactly. They have no idea what's in there.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16'I meet those making big money selling E.'
0:01:16 > 0:01:19- Seven to ten...thousand?- Mm-hm.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22'I join the police as they take down a back street lab.'
0:01:22 > 0:01:24When they take over warehouses, they're big.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28I meet those risking their lives taking new synthetic drugs.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30'You've taken it? Yeah?'
0:01:30 > 0:01:32'And on the streets, I see the effects
0:01:32 > 0:01:34'as these deadly new cocktails take hold.'
0:01:34 > 0:01:37- Do you know where he's taken? - No-one knows.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39- MAN GROANS - That's crazy, it's like crazy.
0:01:39 > 0:01:44This programme contains some strong language
0:01:44 > 0:01:48This programme contains some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting
0:01:48 > 0:01:51My journey starts here, in the Cambodian jungle,
0:01:51 > 0:01:536,000 miles from the UK.
0:01:56 > 0:01:57I'm following the global trade route
0:01:57 > 0:02:01of the biggest-selling party drug in the world, ecstasy,
0:02:01 > 0:02:03or to use its proper name, MDMA.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09HELICOPTER BLADES SPIN
0:02:09 > 0:02:12One of the key ingredients when manufacturing MDMA
0:02:12 > 0:02:14is something called safrole oil,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18and typically, this oil is found in particular trees
0:02:18 > 0:02:19here in the Cambodian jungle,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23so today, I'm going to spend some time with the national organisation
0:02:23 > 0:02:24to find out more.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Whoo!
0:02:28 > 0:02:31'The worldwide trade in ecstasy is huge.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35'It's estimated there are half a million users in the UK alone,
0:02:35 > 0:02:36'and it all starts down there.'
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Yeah, just fly over that, and then up the river.
0:02:41 > 0:02:42'These forests contain
0:02:42 > 0:02:44'some of the most sought-after trees in the world.'
0:02:44 > 0:02:46This is quite something.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Yeah, welcome to the Cardamoms.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50'We're on the hunt for illegal loggers.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Hidden under cover,
0:02:58 > 0:03:00teams of men are cutting down these trees
0:03:00 > 0:03:02for the natural oil they contain.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07The oil is mostly intense in the roots,
0:03:07 > 0:03:09so they'll usually chop the whole tree down
0:03:09 > 0:03:12and then dig out all the roots and the lower base of the stem.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18'Toby Eastoe's job is to look for anything suspicious.'
0:03:18 > 0:03:19Do you see any clearings here?
0:03:20 > 0:03:23'Any sign of life could mean logging teams are in the area,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26'harvesting this wood for its valuable oil.'
0:03:28 > 0:03:30You're mainly looking on the rivers
0:03:30 > 0:03:32for small clearings or any change,
0:03:32 > 0:03:33just like below us there.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Oh, I can see there's a bit of clearance.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37That might be an old factory just there.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Well, you're looking for little shacks
0:03:41 > 0:03:44or, like, tarps, they'll have a tarp up.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47- Where people will be temporarily living.- Yeah, yeah.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50But, er, if you see any human habitation, let me know.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57- My gosh, it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack.- Yep.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00'After an hour, I spot signs of life on the ground.'
0:04:00 > 0:04:02There's a clearing down here, on the left.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Yeah, anything that's on the river like that is suspect.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09'It looks like a new team logging for oil.'
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- Yeah, there's a person there. - I think there's someone there.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17- They just came out. - Yeah, I see him.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22'It's too dangerous to land,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24'so Toby takes the GPS coordinates
0:04:24 > 0:04:26'and will send team in on the ground.'
0:04:28 > 0:04:31It's unbelievable that we've just stumbled across that, isn't it?
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Yeah, we've can at least get a group
0:04:33 > 0:04:36to start going in there and flush those guys out.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43I'd be really interested to know how many people who take MDMA
0:04:43 > 0:04:45realise that this is where it all starts.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47Yeah, I don't think they realise,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49and it would be nice if they got the message
0:04:49 > 0:04:52that taking MDMA, taking ecstasy,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55you know, the root of it is cutting down forests.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04I wanted to find out how successful the rangers are
0:05:04 > 0:05:06at stopping the illegal loggers,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09so I've travelled 100 miles deeper into the forest.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11- Hello.- Hello.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14- How do you do?- Fine, thank you. - Peng Lee?- Peng Lee, yes.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17- Very, very nice to meet you. Thank you for having me.- OK, yes.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Show me what you find, what you've got here.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Er, this is our safrole oils.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25- And...- So this is the safrole oil? - Yeah.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30'The rangers here have just made one of their biggest ever busts.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32'All of these drums of safrole oil
0:05:32 > 0:05:33'were found buried in the jungle,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36'destined for the international drugs market.'
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Maybe thousands and thousands of litres here.
0:05:38 > 0:05:39Um, about...
0:05:39 > 0:05:43More than 2,000...kg.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46More than two tonnes.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48- You can see and smell it. - So here, is it?- Yes.
0:05:51 > 0:05:52- Yeah.- Strong smell?
0:05:52 > 0:05:55- Like liquorice.- Yes.- Aniseed.- Yeah.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59And the people that are responsible for trying to smuggle this oil,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02or they're producing it in the factories, who are they?
0:06:02 > 0:06:03They are Cambodian,
0:06:03 > 0:06:08but we don't know where they bring it to.
0:06:08 > 0:06:09- You have no idea?- No idea.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14'This oil could have made millions of dollars of MDMA,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17'and this wasn't all the rangers seized.'
0:06:17 > 0:06:19And some weapons.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21- Weapons?- Yeah.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23- Woo-hoo!- To protect their team.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26My gosh, this is unbelievable.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29And these are all, what, machine guns here?
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Yeah, machine guns.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33AK.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35- AK-47.- Can I see?- Yes.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Still, can use, can be used.
0:06:42 > 0:06:43- It's still working, yeah? - Still working.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47Some people held it to protect their team or for hunting.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49If they come against you, you are the enemy.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51- They don't want to see the rangers. - Yeah, yeah.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54- Risky job for the ranger.- Yeah.
0:06:54 > 0:06:55- Not messing.- Yeah.
0:06:57 > 0:06:58Whoof!
0:06:59 > 0:07:00Aladdin's cave.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09'I was really keen to see where the oil comes from.'
0:07:09 > 0:07:13So, Peng Lee, the trees which we are interested in are nearby?
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Yeah, yeah. You can see the tree from here,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18the high tree.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21'Just a few metres from the road, and close to the rangers station,
0:07:21 > 0:07:24'there's a clear sign the criminal gangs are active here.'
0:07:27 > 0:07:28So, this is it here,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30the tree that holds the safrole oil
0:07:30 > 0:07:32that everyone's so keen to get their hands on.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35So it's just done with a chainsaw, is it?
0:07:40 > 0:07:43So is there a specific time when the illegal loggers like to work?
0:07:51 > 0:07:54'The wood is then cut up into small chips
0:07:54 > 0:07:57'and boiled in huge vats to extract the valuable oil.'
0:08:00 > 0:08:03- Wow, that smells incredibly strong. - Yeah, strong.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05It's exactly like liquorice.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09As night falls, I've been invited to join the rangers
0:08:09 > 0:08:11on a routine patrol.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14The only way to catch the loggers is to go in on the ground.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17So our guys are about to set off on night patrol.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20My understanding is that they're wanting to set up this ambush.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22So they're hoping to catch these loggers,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25who often prefer to work at night, in action.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28A couple of the guys are armed. I've no idea what to expect.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30MOTORCYCLE ENGINES RUMBLE
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Whoo!
0:08:34 > 0:08:37So, you get nervous sometimes?
0:08:37 > 0:08:39- Yeah.- Yeah?
0:08:40 > 0:08:42'It's like a game of cat and mouse,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44'but the rangers are small in numbers
0:08:44 > 0:08:46'against the hundreds of illegal loggers
0:08:46 > 0:08:48'working in these forests.'
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Do you feel like tonight might be your night?
0:08:52 > 0:08:53Yes.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55I smell something fishy.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57SHE LAUGHS
0:08:57 > 0:09:00- You can feel something fishy around here?- Yeah.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14I know you were saying to me, on the bike,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17it's very important to keep a low profile, we must be very quiet.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Yes.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21So, I think the idea is that
0:09:21 > 0:09:23they're going to make sure their bikes are tucked away nicely.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27A couple of them will then make their way over to the roadside
0:09:27 > 0:09:28and keep their eyes peeled
0:09:28 > 0:09:31and if they see anything that looks suspicious,
0:09:31 > 0:09:32they'll let everyone else know.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41'The rangers plan to spend all night in their hunt for the loggers,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43'who are notoriously hard to catch.'
0:09:45 > 0:09:48So the rangers have set everything up
0:09:48 > 0:09:50and that's them here for the night now.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52It's really important that I don't jeopardise
0:09:52 > 0:09:54the potential ambush.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56So we've got to keep everything very quiet,
0:09:56 > 0:09:58we can't really go into details.
0:09:58 > 0:10:03I'm going to go and sit up the side road with Peng Lee
0:10:03 > 0:10:04and see what happens.
0:10:05 > 0:10:06Thank you.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16'But despite waiting for hours, nothing.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19'It seems the loggers have given us the slip.'
0:10:19 > 0:10:21So, so far, no joy for the rangers.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24I mean, I can tell you from first-hand experience,
0:10:24 > 0:10:25it's not an easy gig they've got.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27We have been sat on the side of the road
0:10:27 > 0:10:31in pitch-black silence for hours,
0:10:31 > 0:10:32and nothing.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34But the others are still down there now
0:10:34 > 0:10:37and they've agreed that they'll ring Peng Lee and I
0:10:37 > 0:10:38if they find anything.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46With millions of acres to patrol
0:10:46 > 0:10:49and hundreds of routes out of the forest,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52it's not surprising safrole oil is still slipping through.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55I want to know where it ends up next,
0:10:55 > 0:10:59so, for me, it's a 7,000-mile flight...
0:10:59 > 0:11:00to Canada.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10This is Vancouver, on Canada's west coast.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13It's one of the safest and most affluent places on the planet.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18I'm here to find out why this city has become
0:11:18 > 0:11:21the world's capital for ecstasy production.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29'Mike Hager is a Vancouver journalist
0:11:29 > 0:11:32'who's spent years investigating why this unlikely city
0:11:32 > 0:11:35'has become so central in the production of drugs.'
0:11:35 > 0:11:38So this is it, this is the biggest port in Canada.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Well, this is Canada's gateway to the Pacific,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42it's its biggest port.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46More than 3,000 container ships each year come through here.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48And where from mostly?
0:11:48 > 0:11:51- Mostly East Asia...- Southeast Asia. - ..South Asia.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Places like Cambodia, China, India.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58And often carrying things that we need for the MDMA production.
0:11:58 > 0:11:59That's correct, yeah.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01I've heard from various sources in law enforcement
0:12:01 > 0:12:05that 5% or less of the drugs coming though these containers
0:12:05 > 0:12:07is actually seized by authorities.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12A couple of years ago in BC's northern port, Prince Rupert,
0:12:12 > 0:12:17they found 552 barrels coming from China labelled as glycerine.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19Labelled as glycerine, but not glycerine?
0:12:19 > 0:12:20Not glycerine, precursor.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25The safrole that I saw in Cambodia
0:12:25 > 0:12:29is the precursor or raw material needed to make MDMA.
0:12:32 > 0:12:33And it's not just these smugglers
0:12:33 > 0:12:35that are keeping Vancouver's cops busy.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39I've hooked up with Sergeant Eric Boechler
0:12:39 > 0:12:40of the city's drug unit
0:12:40 > 0:12:44whose job it is to hunt down the many illegal labs popping up here.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46So there's been another call from the drug squad,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49and they've said that they've been called out this morning
0:12:49 > 0:12:50to another lab.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53So I'm heading there now and I'm going to see what we can get.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59'Fire crews called to a routine alarm this morning
0:12:59 > 0:13:02'stumbled across a new illegal drugs lab.'
0:13:05 > 0:13:08We're not sure what this is, but, typically, in Richmond,
0:13:08 > 0:13:10when they take over warehouses, they're big.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14I think this is going to be a substantial find.
0:13:14 > 0:13:15Yeah, it sounds it.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19Do we have any idea who was operating this lab?
0:13:19 > 0:13:20- No.- No?
0:13:25 > 0:13:26OK, so the guys on the ground now
0:13:26 > 0:13:28are just waiting for a search warrant
0:13:28 > 0:13:31so they're able to go into the lab and see what they're dealing with,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33but the fire department have suggested
0:13:33 > 0:13:36that there may be around eight heating vessels,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38which I'm told is, you know, a reasonable-sized lab.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46'They've said it's too dangerous for me to go in.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49'The chemicals used in synthetic drug production
0:13:49 > 0:13:51'are highly flammable and poisonous.'
0:13:53 > 0:13:55Before the guys are allowed go into the lab,
0:13:55 > 0:13:57they have to have their vitals checked.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00So, their blood pressure, their temperature, things like that,
0:14:00 > 0:14:04so if they feel a bit out of sort, a bit unwell when they come out,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06then they've got something to compare it to.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12'And chemicals aren't the only danger.'
0:14:12 > 0:14:16So the guys that are in the grey overalls are from the police.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18And I don't know whether or not you can see,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21but they've still got their weapons on their thighs.
0:14:21 > 0:14:22You know, there's every chance that
0:14:22 > 0:14:25somebody who's involved within this operation
0:14:25 > 0:14:26could still be in the lab.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32'Sergeant Eric Boechler is often one of the first in.'
0:14:32 > 0:14:36- Eric, you ready to go in there? - Absolutely.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Not sure yet what it's manufacturing,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40but we're going to go and take a look and get samples.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42And the chemicals in there can be very hazardous.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Yes, and a lot of them aren't properly labelled,
0:14:45 > 0:14:47so we really don't know what we are dealing with
0:14:47 > 0:14:49until we get in there and have a better look.
0:14:49 > 0:14:50We're going to be going in,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52getting a bunch of evidence, looking to fingerprint things.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54And then, we'll do a follow up with
0:14:54 > 0:14:56who owns or associates with that building.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04'The team here in Vancouver are now taking down illegal labs
0:15:04 > 0:15:06'two or three times every month.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10'It's a slow, painstaking job.'
0:15:10 > 0:15:11There's definitely a lot going on.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13So, you can see these guys are in and out
0:15:13 > 0:15:16and they're constantly bringing products, the apparatus,
0:15:16 > 0:15:17things like that.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20These guys on this table are taking samples of everything
0:15:20 > 0:15:22that is found in the lab.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25And then, we've got this gent here, and he's searching for fingerprints.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32So, a guy's just brought a glass slab out,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34and it looks like that's the synthetic drug.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41'Dismantling an illegal operation this big can last many days.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44'For Eric, it's another lab successfully busted.'
0:15:44 > 0:15:47And given what you've seen and given how much stuff was in there,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50do you reckon it was a fairly decent size?
0:15:50 > 0:15:52Definitely a good-sized lab.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55How many drugs do you think could have been produced from this spot?
0:15:55 > 0:15:57Er, probably going to be able to, you know,
0:15:57 > 0:16:01at least a couple of kilos of finished product a week, easily.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03- So thousands of pills?- Yep.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05And any ideas who's behind this?
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Not yet, but we should be able to find out fairly easy
0:16:08 > 0:16:10with talking to neighbours and witnesses in the area.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Residential areas and neighbourhoods like these
0:16:16 > 0:16:20provide the perfect location for a lab.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22The first thing anyone living nearby knows about it
0:16:22 > 0:16:24is when something goes wrong.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28Yeah, it's been a mad busy day for these guys.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30You know, we're 14 hours in
0:16:30 > 0:16:33and they're just packing up now, they'll be back tomorrow.
0:16:33 > 0:16:34But, the idea, you know,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38that there were these people sat down in a Chinese restaurant...
0:16:38 > 0:16:41when all the while, you know, ten metres upstairs,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45there was this well-established, operating synthetic drugs lab
0:16:45 > 0:16:47is just...mind blowing.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00Eric wanted to show me one of the police's biggest successes.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03A massive lab was taken down just a few months ago.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Actually, I've got footage here,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08if you want to have a quick look, of our team going inside.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10OK, so this is when it actually happened.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Looks like a movie, doesn't it?
0:17:15 > 0:17:18That's the large reaction vessel, the big stainless steel unit.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21- And is that where the MDMA is cooked?- That's right.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24And there's one of the other large reaction stirring units.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28How many pills, typically, would something like this
0:17:28 > 0:17:30be able to churn out a week?
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Somewhere in the realm of about 50kg of finished product a week.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36That would equate to about a half million pills.
0:17:36 > 0:17:37- A week?- That's right.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40- Half a million pills a week... - That's right.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42- ..could've come out a lab like this. - Absolutely.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49But it appears the war on drugs might be backfiring.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52As the rangers in Cambodia
0:17:52 > 0:17:54are slowing down the trade in safrole,
0:17:54 > 0:17:58the cooks here in Canada are turning to other chemicals or precursors
0:17:58 > 0:18:00to get to their finished product.
0:18:02 > 0:18:03What we're now finding is
0:18:03 > 0:18:05a lot of these cooks are looking for
0:18:05 > 0:18:08other different synthesis routes and precursor chemicals,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10as safrole's very tough to obtain.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12So they're getting these different chemicals
0:18:12 > 0:18:14that are easier to get and then to cook with those
0:18:14 > 0:18:16and produce an MDA instead of the MDMA.
0:18:16 > 0:18:17That's really interesting.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19So, like you say, we all know that safrole
0:18:19 > 0:18:24is one of the key ingredients when it comes to making pure MDMA.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26- That's right. - But it's so tricky to get hold of,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28they're now looking for other alternatives.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Absolutely, so they're looking for different precursor chemicals
0:18:31 > 0:18:33- that they can substitute in for that safrole.- Ya-huh.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40'I was really keen to see some of these alternatives to MDMA.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44'This is the police's secret storage site.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47'Everything seized from a drugs bust ends up here.'
0:18:47 > 0:18:48It's crazy, isn't it?
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Everything is...so well protected,
0:18:51 > 0:18:53but you can still smell the chemicals in the air.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Absolutely, it's such a potent amount of chemicals.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58There's various different, containers here that we keep
0:18:58 > 0:19:00all of our precursor chemicals, the solvents,
0:19:00 > 0:19:02everything that we seize
0:19:02 > 0:19:04while it awaits that court-authorised destruction.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10I mean, the thing that I find quite nuts
0:19:10 > 0:19:12is, you know, I'm having to stand this far away
0:19:12 > 0:19:15and the guys are completely kitted out...
0:19:15 > 0:19:18yet, this is the stuff that the kids are buying voluntarily.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20You know, they're desperate for this.
0:19:26 > 0:19:27So, this is it right?
0:19:27 > 0:19:28This is it here.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31- This is MDA in solution. - In solution.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34So you can see at the top bit, it's just separating a bit now,
0:19:34 > 0:19:35that's just the solvent layer
0:19:35 > 0:19:38and then down below is the thicker MDA in solution.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43'MDA is very similar to MDMA.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47'In fact it's just a simple change in the molecular structure,
0:19:47 > 0:19:48'which is why the drug dealers here
0:19:48 > 0:19:52'have coined a new name for ecstasy, molly.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54They're different chemical structure
0:19:54 > 0:19:58used, made from a different chemical reaction or precursor chemical.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00However, they're often sold as the same item.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03- It'll be sold as MDMA. - Or molly.- That's right.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10What are the risks of taking these new drugs?
0:20:11 > 0:20:13I've come to the government's lab.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17It's here that every new drug that hits the street is analysed.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Waft the fumes.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25I know this smell.
0:20:25 > 0:20:26Liquorice, it's safrole oil.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29- That's...- Safrole.- This is safrole.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31'I've come to meet Dr Richard Laing,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34'a leading expert on the production of synthetic drugs.'
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Because it's hard to get safrole,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39now we find a lot of different means and methods
0:20:39 > 0:20:43to try to divert other types of chemicals.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47And those are all new and novel that are, essentially,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50never been seen before in manufacturing drugs.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54So, effectively, trying to replace the safrole oil.
0:20:54 > 0:20:55Exactly.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Exactly. And some of these methods are compounds
0:20:58 > 0:21:00that no-one knows anything about,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02never seen them before until we discover them in a lab
0:21:02 > 0:21:04and realise, "Hey, we can make drugs from them."
0:21:06 > 0:21:10'And these drugs are simply thrown together in a machine like this.'
0:21:11 > 0:21:15So, this is it, this is the pill presser in all its glory.
0:21:15 > 0:21:16Sure is.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20You can put anything in the pills you like.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23You can put paint, you can go from white tablets to pink to blue...
0:21:23 > 0:21:25That's the scary thing, you say it there though.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28You can literally put anything, you can throw any old crap
0:21:28 > 0:21:30in this pill presser
0:21:30 > 0:21:32and they'll come out looking reasonably sophisticated.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34to the kids on the street buying what they think's molly,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36"Oh, it looks spot on."
0:21:36 > 0:21:37Exactly.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39They have no idea what's in there.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41To tell you the truth, I don't even know what's in there right now.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44'And if experts like Richard don't know,
0:21:44 > 0:21:45'the health concerns are pretty obvious.'
0:21:45 > 0:21:48You know, young people don't think about their future too much,
0:21:48 > 0:21:50but when you get to be 60 years old
0:21:50 > 0:21:53and all of a sudden, you have problems with kidneys and liver
0:21:53 > 0:21:56and it's because, or...brain damage,
0:21:56 > 0:22:00and it's all because of what you took when you were 15 or 16...
0:22:00 > 0:22:05That's a pretty, pretty high toll to pay for...youth indulgence.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16But the immediate effects of these new and unknown drugs
0:22:16 > 0:22:18are also being felt now.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22- Hello, Cathy.- Hi.- How do you do? - I'm fine, thank you.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Lovely to see you, thank you for having me.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26'I've come to meet Cathy McCormack,
0:22:26 > 0:22:30'whose daughter Cheryl took MDMA for several years.'
0:22:30 > 0:22:31This is her room.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36- Nice and bright...- Yeah. - ..just the way she left it.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40- Yeah, like a typical 17-year-old's room, right?- Mm-hm.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43- Apart from, like, it's very clean. - THEY LAUGH
0:22:43 > 0:22:45Well, that's new. STACEY LAUGHS
0:22:45 > 0:22:47That wasn't her doing?
0:22:47 > 0:22:50That wasn't her doing, no, no.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54- All her pictures of all of her pals from school.- Mm-hm.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56- Can I have a look?- Yeah.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59- So this is her in her rugby gear? - That's her rugby, yeah.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01That was one of her big passions.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03She wasn't really overly athletic,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06- but she did like her rugby. - She was into rugby, yeah?
0:23:07 > 0:23:10- Oh, wow. So this was when she was baby, baby.- Mm-hm.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13Isn't she lovely?
0:23:14 > 0:23:15Yeah...
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Silly girls...
0:23:20 > 0:23:22..and stupid mistakes.
0:23:23 > 0:23:24Yeah.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35'On this night, Cheryl took what she believed was MDMA.
0:23:35 > 0:23:36'It wasn't.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41'The cook had switched from safrole to another oil,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43'with deadly consequences.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48'Within hours, Cheryl was fighting for her life.'
0:23:48 > 0:23:52There was two days of not knowing if she was going to live or not live,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55and they finally said, "She's not going to make it."
0:23:56 > 0:23:58And she went.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01So, and that was three days before Christmas
0:24:03 > 0:24:07So, needless to say, that's not my favourite season any more.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09But, er, yeah.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12- So...- My gosh.- Yeah.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Do you know why your Cheryl died?
0:24:18 > 0:24:23She got PMMA instead of MDMA.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25- Right.- And...
0:24:26 > 0:24:29..she thought she was getting MDMA, but it wasn't...
0:24:29 > 0:24:32And so that's... They didn't find that out
0:24:32 > 0:24:34till after the fact, of course, that that's what it was.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36But they knew at the hospital immediately
0:24:36 > 0:24:40that they were not dealing with just MDMA in her system,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42but they didn't know what it was,
0:24:42 > 0:24:43didn't know how to treat it.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45And me being naive I said, "You know, she has a cold,
0:24:45 > 0:24:47"maybe she took some cold medicine,"
0:24:47 > 0:24:49thinking that that might have reacted with it.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54But, no, they knew they were dealing with something much, much...
0:24:54 > 0:24:56more than that, they just didn't know what.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02It's always incredibly difficult, isn't it?
0:25:02 > 0:25:07Listening to Mum talk about how she's lost her 17-year-old.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09But I think what it does is it highlights...
0:25:11 > 0:25:15..how you never really know what it is that you're taking.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23I want to understand exactly how two very similar drugs
0:25:23 > 0:25:25can cause such different reactions.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30- So...this one here, right? - Yeah.- Yeah?
0:25:30 > 0:25:32'Drew was Cheryl's best friend.'
0:25:32 > 0:25:34I try to do something, like, different every year,
0:25:34 > 0:25:36like, in honour of her.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40'She called the emergency services on the night Cheryl died.'
0:25:41 > 0:25:43I have a copy of it.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45- You have a copy of the actual call? - Yeah, of me making the call.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48TELEPHONE RECORDING: Sorry, it's a really big emergency.
0:25:48 > 0:25:49I think my friend is having withdrawal
0:25:49 > 0:25:51and she's, like, not responding any more.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54- OPERATOR:- Is there anything in her mouth?- I can't get her mouth open.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56- MAN:- Her mouth is clenched. - It's clenched shut.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59- She's got it clenched?- Yes.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01So, we have no idea why she's acting like this?
0:26:03 > 0:26:05- No, I know why.- Why?
0:26:05 > 0:26:08- Because she's overdosing.- On what?
0:26:08 > 0:26:13- MDMA. It's like...- Ecstasy. - ..it's ecstasy.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15I'm really scared right now.
0:26:15 > 0:26:16My God.
0:26:18 > 0:26:19So that's that.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22It's hard listening to, just, for how scared I was, I guess.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25And I just didn't really know what to do, so...
0:26:25 > 0:26:26It was just freaky.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30And I didn't think we'd be in that situation at all and...
0:26:30 > 0:26:32It was just, it was tough.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36'Cheryl and Drew had done MDMA many times before.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38'They believed they were safe.'
0:26:38 > 0:26:40When I started doing it, I did it so much.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44Like, cos, it's like, after the first time, it's so fun.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47And you're just like, "Yeah!" like, "I want to keep doing this."
0:26:47 > 0:26:49And then, once Cheryl started doing it with me,
0:26:49 > 0:26:53like, we did it all the time, like, at school, at sleepovers.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56- At school? - Yeah, we did it at school.
0:26:56 > 0:26:57We did it all the time.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59So what time did you end up taking the pills?
0:26:59 > 0:27:01At 9.30.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03How many had you taken each?
0:27:03 > 0:27:06- Only one...at the beginning. - Right, so everyone had taken one.
0:27:06 > 0:27:07Yeah, we all had taken one.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09But, then, after about an hour,
0:27:09 > 0:27:12it wasn't really affecting us the way that it should have been,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14so we were like, "OK, well, like, let's take one more,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16"like, it's not that big of a deal."
0:27:16 > 0:27:22And so we all took one more, but then at that time, Cheryl had taken two.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24'While the drug looked like their normal MDMA,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26'there was a deadly difference.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28'It was, in fact, twice as strong,
0:27:28 > 0:27:32'and crucially, took a longer time to take effect.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36'By now, Cheryl had taken way more than her usual dosage.'
0:27:37 > 0:27:40She looked at me and just started mumbling.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42I couldn't even make out what she was saying.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45It was so quick and so, er, it was so freaky.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50And then I was like, "OK, we need to call 911 now,
0:27:50 > 0:27:51"like, something's not right."
0:27:51 > 0:27:56And she looked at me and she just said, like,
0:27:56 > 0:27:59"You only need to call 911 if they become unresponsive."
0:27:59 > 0:28:02and that was when she went unconscious.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05So, that was the last thing she ever said to me.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11'It's believed at least five young people died
0:28:11 > 0:28:14'from this one batch of PMMA.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17'The police found the lab and it was closed down.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19'The cook was arrested.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23'What had begun as a bit of teenage fun ended in tragedy.'
0:28:25 > 0:28:29You know, they were a young crowd who just wanted to have fun.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32And they'd done it so many times before.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35You know, they thought they knew what they had to do,
0:28:35 > 0:28:36what would happen.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41It wasn't until it started going slightly differently
0:28:41 > 0:28:42that alarm bells started ringing.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45And I think it just really highlights the fact
0:28:45 > 0:28:46that you can think you're on top of it,
0:28:46 > 0:28:49you can think you know what you're taking.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52But there's no real way of ever being truly certain.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55You know, there's always going to be that element of risk and...
0:28:56 > 0:28:58..unfortunately, for these girls, you know,
0:28:58 > 0:29:00they've learnt that the hard way.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10The problem of illegal drugs
0:29:10 > 0:29:13containing unknown and possibly dangerous chemicals
0:29:13 > 0:29:15goes much wider than ecstasy...
0:29:18 > 0:29:22..as I was to discover when I visited East Hastings in Vancouver
0:29:22 > 0:29:25that's known as the heroin capital of Canada.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31Suddenly, there's an emergency.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40'A user on the street has overdosed.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42'He's still alive...just.'
0:29:42 > 0:29:45- Somebody's called- 911? Yes.
0:29:45 > 0:29:46'The team from a nearby clinic,
0:29:46 > 0:29:48'fearing this is more than just heroin,
0:29:48 > 0:29:50'leap into action.'
0:29:50 > 0:29:53- Do you know what he's taken. - No-one knows.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56Definitely heroin, but maybe mixed with something else.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59MAN GROANS
0:29:59 > 0:30:02There we go. You've had an overdose.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Yeah, yeah. Welcome back, buddy.
0:30:05 > 0:30:06Just keep taking breaths, OK?
0:30:06 > 0:30:08No, keep that on, suck some air.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10I was having a chat with someone and somebody ran through
0:30:10 > 0:30:14and said, "Someone's OD'ing outside, someone's OD'ing outside."
0:30:14 > 0:30:16So, I just followed this guy.
0:30:16 > 0:30:21He brought the gas, he brought this box which is full of equipment.
0:30:21 > 0:30:22And I'm speaking to this lady here
0:30:22 > 0:30:25and she saying if they hadn't come at the time they did,
0:30:25 > 0:30:28there's every chance that he could have died.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31A perfect example of how huge a problem this is.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33They don't know what he's taken.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36It's crazy, it's, like, crazy.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38'After 15 minutes of treatment
0:30:38 > 0:30:41'and receiving specialist anti-overdose medication,
0:30:41 > 0:30:45'the man is stable enough to be taken to hospital.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49'Darwin Fisher runs Insite, a nearby clinic for heroin users.'
0:30:49 > 0:30:52- You think he will be OK? - Yeah, he's going to be OK.
0:30:52 > 0:30:53- I mean...- Later, brother.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55..you've just saved that guy's life.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59Well, group effort and street awareness too.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02You know, most people on the streets know that there's a risk there,
0:31:02 > 0:31:05so they're getting help, right?
0:31:05 > 0:31:07- Getting help. - I can't believe what just happened.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10Like, it's quite overwhelming, isn't it?
0:31:10 > 0:31:13Yeah, it looks a little different when you actually see it happening.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15- It's not a dry statistic all of a sudden.- Right.- Yeah.
0:31:19 > 0:31:20So come on in, let's have a look.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25'Insite was set up to provide a safe place for addicts.
0:31:25 > 0:31:30'Anyone who overdoses here receives instant medical attention.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32'At least users who don't necessarily know what they're taking
0:31:32 > 0:31:36'do know, if it does go wrong, they'll get help.'
0:31:36 > 0:31:39I've got filter, cooker, water... There we go.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42- Then I go to this booth here.- OK.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45So you come in with the heroin...
0:31:45 > 0:31:47- Yep, we buy it on the streets. - And then you collect...
0:31:47 > 0:31:49And then we collect the gear...
0:31:49 > 0:31:50'I've come to meet Trevor.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53'He's been using heroin since the '90s.'
0:31:53 > 0:31:54..and we sit down here.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56And we do this here
0:31:56 > 0:32:00because we got nurses and everything here that help us out.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03I can tell you, it's probably the safest place I've been.
0:32:03 > 0:32:04I've dropped, I've overdosed twice.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07Right, like, I've flatlined twice
0:32:07 > 0:32:09and these people have brought me back.
0:32:09 > 0:32:10Talk me through what happened then.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12OK, I come in and...
0:32:12 > 0:32:15I was using... Let me think here.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17No, it was fentanyl.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20- Fentanyl, which is a... - Tell me that again.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22- Fentanyl... - Fentanyl, I've heard of this.
0:32:22 > 0:32:27Yes, it's a...morphine-based product,
0:32:27 > 0:32:29and it's very powerful,
0:32:29 > 0:32:32it's like ten times more powerful than morphine.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35I did the hit and as soon as I took the needle out,
0:32:35 > 0:32:37I knew, I knew, it was like, "Uh-oh!"
0:32:37 > 0:32:41And then, I come to and I've got the oxygen mask on
0:32:41 > 0:32:43and they're waking me up.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46'It's 10am and it's time for Trevor's first hit of the day.'
0:32:46 > 0:32:48You've got your heroin. Where's your heroin?
0:32:48 > 0:32:50It's right here. It goes in the cooker like this.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53'Nowadays, he's so worried about what could be in his gear
0:32:53 > 0:32:55'he always injects here at Insite.'
0:32:55 > 0:32:58Fair warning, I'm a jug shooter.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00Most people shoot up in their arms or legs.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02- Does that mean you inject in your neck?- Yes.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04OK. You've always injected in your neck?
0:33:04 > 0:33:07No, it's just the easiest vein for me to me find now.
0:33:07 > 0:33:08I've worn out my veins.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12Now I just come in here...
0:33:23 > 0:33:24That's it.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26That's that done, yeah?
0:33:26 > 0:33:27That's it.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32They usually ask me if I'm even using dope, I'm so quick sometimes.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36Now, I just wait for it to kick in,
0:33:36 > 0:33:37and there we go.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Unfortunately, that's what I have to do to get better.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48I describe that as Mum's hug.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51One of the best feelings in the world
0:33:51 > 0:33:53but it's the worst thing to have to do.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56In order for me to be able to function
0:33:56 > 0:33:58or be able walk around during the day,
0:33:58 > 0:34:00I have to have first hit
0:34:00 > 0:34:03or I can't do nothing. I'm a wreck, right?
0:34:04 > 0:34:08Last year, 23 people died in this part of Canada
0:34:08 > 0:34:12after taking heroin laced with the painkiller fentanyl.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14Dealers cut this stronger drug with the heroin
0:34:14 > 0:34:17to give users a quicker and stronger high,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20often with devastating results.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22Let's go up to Onsite.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24- So this is Onsite? - Yep.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26- Just upstairs from Insite. - Just upstairs.
0:34:26 > 0:34:27It makes sense to have it called...
0:34:27 > 0:34:29'Upstairs in the rehab unit,
0:34:29 > 0:34:32'I find another addict who's taken fentanyl by accident
0:34:32 > 0:34:34'on many occasions.'
0:34:34 > 0:34:35- I'm Stacey.- Stacey, I'm Daniel.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37Really nice to meet you.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39I've been dead six times.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41No way, flatlined six times.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43Flatlined, you know, heart stopped six times.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47So, what were you injecting?
0:34:47 > 0:34:51Um, well...my drug of choice has been heroin,
0:34:51 > 0:34:55but...often the heroin isn't heroin.
0:34:55 > 0:34:56You might be getting fentanyl
0:34:56 > 0:34:59or oxycontin with a benzodiazepine mix.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02I'm hearing more and more about this fentanyl.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04Yeah, very, very powerful.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07And, with me, like, I do it,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10I feel that euphoria for about 30 seconds
0:35:10 > 0:35:13and then I wake up in a hospital.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17And..to find out that my heart had been stopped.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19And the sad part is, for me, there's no fear in it
0:35:19 > 0:35:21because I don't know what's going on.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24I'll wake up and everybody else around me is freaked out
0:35:24 > 0:35:27and, like, "Wow, you were blue, you were dead."
0:35:27 > 0:35:31And, I'm like, you know, it's like I just woke up from a sleep.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40DANCE MUSIC PLAYS
0:35:40 > 0:35:44The uncertainty about what could be in street and party drugs
0:35:44 > 0:35:46is starting to change the way people behave.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52I've come Toronto to find out more.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54Oh, hello, it's Stacey.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58- Hello, how are you? I'm Stacey. - Peter.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00Really lovely to meet you, Peter.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02- Hello, love, how are you?- Meg. - I'm Stacey.
0:36:02 > 0:36:03How's it going? I'm Shaun.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05Hi, I can come with you tonight?
0:36:05 > 0:36:06Yes, you sure can.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08Perfect, let me follow you in, thank you.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10You look lovely, I like your shorts.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16Meg, talk me through the feeling of MDMA.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18Well...it's a nice build up.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21It's slow, it's progressive, it works with you.
0:36:21 > 0:36:22Um...
0:36:22 > 0:36:24But what I look for in it is the peak.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28And, like, the peak is so euphoric and it makes you, just, so happy.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30And you never get nervous, you never get frightened?
0:36:30 > 0:36:33Every time before I go to the club, I get nervous...every time.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37But...not about rolling, cos I test my things.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41I'm a firm believer in testing, I know where I get my stuff...
0:36:41 > 0:36:44Talk to me about that, you say you always test your thing.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47- Erm, this is the capsule. - So that's your MDMA?- Yeah.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49It comes in brown or white.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51So, what I do is I open the capsule.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53'Meg tests every drug she buys
0:36:53 > 0:36:55'and is convinced this has kept her safe.'
0:36:55 > 0:36:57So, the chemical.
0:36:57 > 0:36:58I like to shake it.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00It comes out purple.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02Oh, it is, yeah, it's purply.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04So, I know, tonight, I'm taking MDMA.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07'In three years of testing her drugs,
0:37:07 > 0:37:09'Meg has found some truly shocking ingredients.'
0:37:09 > 0:37:13I've had everything, like, pretty much on the chart show up before.
0:37:13 > 0:37:14Oh, really?
0:37:14 > 0:37:17I've had methylone, yeah, that's normal.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19Heroin, yes, meth, yes,
0:37:19 > 0:37:21aspirin, sugar, Ritalin.
0:37:21 > 0:37:22That's a perfect example, isn't it?
0:37:22 > 0:37:27Of...how many dodge...drugs are floating about.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31Yeah, you can throw flour in a pill, salt and pepper in a pill.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34- You can throw anything in a pill. - Wow.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36'Of course, testing is only a guide,
0:37:36 > 0:37:39'but it does seems to me better to have some idea
0:37:39 > 0:37:41'of what you're about to put in your body.'
0:37:42 > 0:37:43The guys are just getting ready.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47But I do find the whole thing utterly fascinating.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51You know, the idea that Meg seems to have really...researched...
0:37:52 > 0:37:53..all of these things.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56And, you know, she's adamant that she's going to take them,
0:37:56 > 0:37:59so she wants to make sure she's as safe as she can be.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02You know, no drug is...100% safe.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07'Meg's confident she knows what she's taking tonight,
0:38:07 > 0:38:09'but I'm going to tag along to see if she's right.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14'In recent years, more than 25 people have died
0:38:14 > 0:38:16'and many more hospitalised in Canada
0:38:16 > 0:38:19'after taking what they believed was MDMA.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25'After a hard day at work and long nights dancing ahead,
0:38:25 > 0:38:28'Meg decides it's time to drop her pre-tested pill.'
0:38:37 > 0:38:39You've taken it? Yeah?
0:38:46 > 0:38:48So Meg's just dropped her pill.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52She said to me she feels really confident,
0:38:52 > 0:38:54she feels completely calm,
0:38:54 > 0:38:56she's up for it
0:38:56 > 0:38:57and her fella Shaun said
0:38:57 > 0:39:00that it normally takes her about half an hour
0:39:00 > 0:39:02to really come up,
0:39:02 > 0:39:04so you'll really see a different side to her.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07But already I can see she's got the bottle,
0:39:07 > 0:39:09a cold bottle of booze,
0:39:09 > 0:39:11and she's putting it all over her body cos she's so hot.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13She's saying "I'm hot, I'm hot."
0:39:15 > 0:39:16Quite full-on.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22'Over the next four hours,
0:39:22 > 0:39:25'I watch Meg dance and party nonstop.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27'It seems like this time her pill is safe.'
0:39:31 > 0:39:33So, Meg, how are you feeling?
0:39:33 > 0:39:35- Really good, I'm really happy right now.- Yeah?
0:39:35 > 0:39:36Yeah, I'm feeling good.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38Talk me through what's going on inside your mind.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41Nothing, I'm here with you, it's just...I'm happy.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43And I want to dance and I have energy.
0:39:43 > 0:39:44I don't feel like I worked all day
0:39:44 > 0:39:46or that I was drained when I got here.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49Yeah? So you're having a brilliant night?
0:39:49 > 0:39:50Oh, yeah, of course.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52OK, and what time will you go on till tonight?
0:39:52 > 0:39:55- What time is it now?- Nearly two.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57Er...probably four, when the club closes,
0:39:57 > 0:39:59and then I'll probably just go home,
0:39:59 > 0:40:01walk the dogs, wind down...
0:40:02 > 0:40:03..and carry on with life.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11'Meg does appear fine and continues to party until the early hours.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21'The law enforcement here is also changing its approach.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25'Now they go out to try and actively disrupt the drug dealers.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30'The police's gang unit have adopted a zero tolerance approach
0:40:30 > 0:40:33'to anyone connected with the city's drug trade.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37'I've been invited to spend a night on the front line.'
0:40:38 > 0:40:40- Every officer will have one of these?- Yeah.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43HE COCKS GUN
0:40:43 > 0:40:45But they're necessary when you're dealing with people
0:40:45 > 0:40:46affiliated with gangs?
0:40:46 > 0:40:48- They can be. - And I guess they're all armed?
0:40:48 > 0:40:50Yeah, many of them are. SIREN RINGS
0:40:50 > 0:40:54We're going to... one of our units has stopped a vehicle
0:40:54 > 0:40:57and they have a guy who's armed and dangerous.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02So, right now, the guys have got an alert on their laptop,
0:41:02 > 0:41:04telling them that one of their officers
0:41:04 > 0:41:06has pulled a vehicle to one side
0:41:06 > 0:41:09and the guy inside that car has been known in the past
0:41:09 > 0:41:11to be armed and dangerous, is that right?
0:41:11 > 0:41:13To carry guns or other dangerous weapons.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15Right, so we're just heading there now.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19'The police check all car licence plates.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23'Any owned by guys with links to the drugs gangs are pulled over.'
0:41:23 > 0:41:26They're searching the vehicle for drugs and guns.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29A lot of these vehicles will have hidden compartments put into them.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31They'll have a switch in the dashboard somewhere
0:41:31 > 0:41:33where you click it or turn the turn signal twice
0:41:33 > 0:41:34and this thing'll pop open
0:41:34 > 0:41:36- and then you'll be a loaded handgun there.- Really?
0:41:36 > 0:41:38Oh, yeah, yeah, it's very common.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43'Fed up with the violence based around the drug business,
0:41:43 > 0:41:46'the public have forced the police to take the war on drugs
0:41:46 > 0:41:48'right back to the gangs.'
0:41:48 > 0:41:49A lot of the citizens were saying,
0:41:49 > 0:41:51"Look, we can't go downtown and have a good time.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53"We can't go to a restaurant and have a meal
0:41:53 > 0:41:57"without having possibly armed gangsters having meals beside us."
0:41:57 > 0:41:59And so that's what the public were calling, er,
0:41:59 > 0:42:01and that's what the enforcement team here does.
0:42:01 > 0:42:02Is to make sure that it's uncomfortable
0:42:02 > 0:42:04for gangsters to come down here.
0:42:07 > 0:42:08'Back on the road
0:42:08 > 0:42:09'and it's only minutes before
0:42:09 > 0:42:11'another suspected gang member is pulled over.'
0:42:16 > 0:42:20My understanding is that they did a quick check on this car,
0:42:20 > 0:42:22they were following the car, and then the car darted off
0:42:22 > 0:42:24and it looked like he was trying to lose the police.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26So they've brought him back round
0:42:26 > 0:42:28and he's said "Oh, no, I was just picking a pal up."
0:42:28 > 0:42:31So they're just trying to figure things out now.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34'The driver says he's just picked up some takeaway food.'
0:42:34 > 0:42:37My partner here wants to talk to you for a second.
0:42:37 > 0:42:38'But he's on the on the police database
0:42:38 > 0:42:41'and that's enough for his car to be searched.'
0:42:41 > 0:42:42It's starting to become apparent
0:42:42 > 0:42:45that this isn't as clear cut as they first thought.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47So, the guy that was driving...
0:42:48 > 0:42:50They've just found a knife in the car.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53The guy that was driving, they recognised him,
0:42:53 > 0:42:55he said, like, five years ago, he was a nightmare,
0:42:55 > 0:42:57he said he was a massive shithead, whatever that means.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00I don't know if he was, like, deep into the gangs.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03And the passenger, there was a knife found on his side,
0:43:03 > 0:43:06But we'll know more when the officers...
0:43:06 > 0:43:09have finished searching the vehicle and chatting to the guys.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15'All cars are searched for drugs and weapons.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19'They find a box of ammo.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22'It turns out the driver does have a licence to carry a gun,
0:43:22 > 0:43:24'but everyone with a record is treated with suspicion.'
0:43:26 > 0:43:28- These are legal? - Oh, yeah, they're legal.
0:43:28 > 0:43:30These are legal, right?
0:43:31 > 0:43:33Why do you feel like you need to carry them?
0:43:37 > 0:43:39Just in case you need one,
0:43:39 > 0:43:42you've got a handcuff key here in the trunk.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44I have no idea...
0:43:44 > 0:43:46That's not illegal either...
0:43:46 > 0:43:49- It's just odd, it's just odd... - Yeah, it is really odd.
0:43:49 > 0:43:50It is really odd.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52You're saying you were a nightmare five years ago,
0:43:52 > 0:43:54- but now you've completely changed your life?- Yeah.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56- You're legitimate?- Yeah.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59I always was, I was just hanging around with the wrong crowd.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02Yeah? What, like the drug dealers round here?
0:44:03 > 0:44:05Just people that are idiots,
0:44:05 > 0:44:08people who like to get in trouble, fight, think that they're tough.
0:44:08 > 0:44:09Yeah. Have you been to prison?
0:44:09 > 0:44:12Er...I've been to jail.
0:44:12 > 0:44:13Yeah?
0:44:13 > 0:44:16- How many times?- Once.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19'No illegal weapons or drugs were found in their car.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22'The men were free to go on their way.'
0:44:22 > 0:44:24- Yeah. Thanks for not shooting.- Bye.
0:44:33 > 0:44:34I still want to understand
0:44:34 > 0:44:37why Canada has become this massive drugs producer.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40The whole population of this vast country
0:44:40 > 0:44:42is just over half that of the UK.
0:44:43 > 0:44:47So, we're making our way to an unmanned part of the border.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50Zero Avenue.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53It goes all the way up from there and it ends at Zero Avenue.
0:44:54 > 0:44:58'Before I leave, I meet up again with local journalist Mike Hager.'
0:45:02 > 0:45:03This is definitely it?
0:45:03 > 0:45:05This is it - America, Canada.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07Stop it.
0:45:08 > 0:45:09So that road, this road.
0:45:09 > 0:45:13So we're in Canada, Canada, Canada, Canada, Canada...
0:45:13 > 0:45:14The States?
0:45:14 > 0:45:16America, yeah, that's right.
0:45:16 > 0:45:17This is insane.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20I have literally, I have been so many borders all around the world
0:45:20 > 0:45:24and I've never ever...experienced anything quite like this.
0:45:28 > 0:45:325,000 plus kilometres that way to the Atlantic Ocean.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35There's a lot of rugged terrain, totally unmanned.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39This is a smugglers' paradise.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41'The ecstasy, or molly, trade
0:45:41 > 0:45:44'is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
0:45:44 > 0:45:45'And for this business to flourish,
0:45:45 > 0:45:49'the cooks and the dealers need access to the biggest market,
0:45:49 > 0:45:51'and it's right here on their doorstep.'
0:45:51 > 0:45:53Well, cops on this side have told us
0:45:53 > 0:45:56that two SUVs can pull up,
0:45:56 > 0:45:58one on the Canadian side, one on the American side
0:45:58 > 0:46:02and someone can jump out into another vehicle
0:46:02 > 0:46:03or they can toss a bag
0:46:03 > 0:46:05and then they're off.
0:46:05 > 0:46:07You know, by the time they've hit the highway on either side,
0:46:07 > 0:46:10very difficult for law enforcement to catch them.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13How much of the MDMA that's being produced here in Canada
0:46:13 > 0:46:15is ending up in the States?
0:46:15 > 0:46:19Well, we've been told from people on both sides of the industry
0:46:19 > 0:46:22that about 90% goes down to the American market.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26There's 300 million people versus Canada's just 30 million.
0:46:26 > 0:46:28Such a huge appetite down there.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31Supply and demand, you know? First rule of economics.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34AEROPLANE ENGINE ROARS
0:46:34 > 0:46:36For the final leg of my journey,
0:46:36 > 0:46:38I've come to America, and Atlanta.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43Molly is now a big deal here.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48Doctors have seen the number of cases involving the drug
0:46:48 > 0:46:51soar by 50% in the past two years.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55In one bust alone, police here seized molly
0:46:55 > 0:46:58with a street value 3 million.
0:47:01 > 0:47:04# I'm fresh up out the railway Been a long day...#
0:47:04 > 0:47:08I've come to meet one of Atlanta's leading rappers, Reese.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10# Stressin' about this money That's a long day
0:47:10 > 0:47:13# I turned up at your function... #
0:47:13 > 0:47:16# Pull up to the club, VIP, that's where you find me...#
0:47:16 > 0:47:18Nice, I like it.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20- Thank you.- I like it.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22Want me to do another one? One more?
0:47:23 > 0:47:27He released this track, titled Molly, in 2012.
0:47:27 > 0:47:31I made it because, at the time,
0:47:31 > 0:47:35molly was getting very big in the streets of Atlanta.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37A lot of people were talking about it.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39So I was like, "Hey, we should make a song
0:47:39 > 0:47:42"that's kind of like an anthem for the molly takers."
0:47:42 > 0:47:44# I been working all day
0:47:44 > 0:47:47# Posted in the trap I been trapping all day...#
0:47:47 > 0:47:48Molly's everywhere.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51It's in the suburbs, in the hood,
0:47:51 > 0:47:54in...school, it's everywhere.
0:47:54 > 0:47:55Everybody takes molly.
0:47:55 > 0:47:56I find it so interesting
0:47:56 > 0:47:59how, like, the younger crowd, the younger generation
0:47:59 > 0:48:01are just so influenced by, you know,
0:48:01 > 0:48:04what their favourite rappers are rapping about, like, so much so,
0:48:04 > 0:48:08like, you know, Jay-Z was rapping about molly
0:48:08 > 0:48:11and then the whole crowd were like taking molly straight away,
0:48:11 > 0:48:12even when they hadn't heard of it.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15If you're an influential person and you talking about molly,
0:48:15 > 0:48:18everybody's going be like, "Man, this is a cool guy."
0:48:18 > 0:48:22Goes from one person to another and then it just affects the world.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24- Yeah, it's nuts.- It's like a virus.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27'These guys may rap about molly,
0:48:27 > 0:48:29'but they're a lot less keen in actually taking it.'
0:48:31 > 0:48:33And you boys, you take molly?
0:48:33 > 0:48:35I don't, I have before...
0:48:35 > 0:48:38I'm cool on it, and then I said, "Nope..."
0:48:38 > 0:48:41- Come downs aren't worth it? - Uh-uh, I'm straight.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45# Party... #
0:48:45 > 0:48:47It seems almost everyone I meet
0:48:47 > 0:48:50has had some bad experiences with this drug.
0:48:50 > 0:48:51It kind of scared me.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54You know, a lot of the side effects people don't talk about.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57Cos, you know, people will say, like, molly's a sexual drug.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59Yeah, the party drug, the love drug.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02But, honestly, like, molly's going give you a soft dick,
0:49:02 > 0:49:04you're going to have the lockjaw so you have some gum
0:49:04 > 0:49:06cos you're going to fucking grind your teeth.
0:49:06 > 0:49:08You're going do all kind of weird shit...
0:49:08 > 0:49:13Molly be making some people fucking shoot people, kill folks.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15I know a couple of dudes who drop a molly
0:49:15 > 0:49:16and they'd be having pistols
0:49:16 > 0:49:18and they'd be like "Bro..." offering to shoot somebody.
0:49:22 > 0:49:23'Here, in Atlanta,
0:49:23 > 0:49:26'molly is becoming as popular as crack and methamphetamine.
0:49:27 > 0:49:31'I want to meet those at the heart of this business, the dealers.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35'Tracking down guys like this anywhere is tough,
0:49:35 > 0:49:37'but I've been the told the men I'm about to see
0:49:37 > 0:49:38'are serious players.'
0:49:39 > 0:49:42They've agreed to talk to me on the understanding that
0:49:42 > 0:49:45we don't show their identity and we don't reveal their location
0:49:45 > 0:49:47so the camera's got to go off now.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50So, we're about five minutes away, right?
0:49:51 > 0:49:54- Wow, look at you three. - Hey, how you doing?
0:49:54 > 0:49:56Nice to meet you. How's things?
0:49:56 > 0:50:00Thank you so much for allowing me to come to your...trap house?
0:50:00 > 0:50:01Is that where we are?
0:50:01 > 0:50:03Yeah this is a... Trap, trap, trap...
0:50:03 > 0:50:05Trap, trap, trap? What's a trap house? Tell me.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07Trap house is just like,
0:50:07 > 0:50:09you know what I'm saying, your neighbourhood pharmacy.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11That's what a trap house is.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14So tell me what your job is, what do you deal with?
0:50:14 > 0:50:19My job is to supply the users with any drug they want
0:50:19 > 0:50:21because this is a one-stop shop.
0:50:21 > 0:50:22And what do people want the most?
0:50:22 > 0:50:25They want their molly, man. That's what they want the most.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27- Molly, yeah?- Yeah.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29Why is molly so popular here? Tell me.
0:50:29 > 0:50:34In my opinion, molly is so popular because...
0:50:34 > 0:50:37they looking for molly for, basically, you know, it's like
0:50:37 > 0:50:40a party thing and...
0:50:40 > 0:50:43you know what I'm saying, it's the sex drug,
0:50:43 > 0:50:46you know, you can take it in pill form.
0:50:46 > 0:50:50So, can I, I'm sorry to interrupt, can I ask you?
0:50:50 > 0:50:52So this is pretty standard, right?
0:50:52 > 0:50:54- This is one of your customers?- Yeah.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57- Hello.- Hey.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00- How are you?- I'm doing fine.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02What have you come for today?
0:51:02 > 0:51:03Some gas.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05What's gas?
0:51:05 > 0:51:08This right here, weed.
0:51:08 > 0:51:09Just weed, yeah, to smoke?
0:51:09 > 0:51:13- It ain't just weed. - It's high-grade weed.
0:51:13 > 0:51:15- It's high grade?- High grade. - High grade.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18'The dealers told me they've been selling everything
0:51:18 > 0:51:22'from crack cocaine, heroin and cannabis for more than a decade.
0:51:22 > 0:51:26'But the demand for molly has really taken off in the past two years.'
0:51:26 > 0:51:29So, how much money do you make off of molly, would you say, a week?
0:51:29 > 0:51:31We're talking seven, ten.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34- Seven to ten...thousand?- Mm-hm.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39'And then one of the dealers, to show me the gear was good,
0:51:39 > 0:51:41'took a large amount of powdered molly.'
0:51:44 > 0:51:47- Wow.- He has to taste it, yeah?
0:51:47 > 0:51:50'Like so people involved in the drug business,
0:51:50 > 0:51:53'dealers like these guys often rely on the threat of violence
0:51:53 > 0:51:55'to protect their business.'
0:51:55 > 0:51:58- And what, this is yours, is it? This is your gun?- Mm-hm.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00And that's yours, yeah?
0:52:00 > 0:52:01Where do you get your guns from?
0:52:01 > 0:52:04- Off the streets, man. - Off the streets, yeah?
0:52:04 > 0:52:07How many times have you had to use this gun?
0:52:07 > 0:52:08See this right here?
0:52:10 > 0:52:12- So that's recent, is it?- Yeah.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15- Who did you shoot at?- Somebody.
0:52:15 > 0:52:18- What did they do? - Money, family, anything.
0:52:18 > 0:52:21- But this particular situation. - This situation right here was money.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24- Money? He owed you money?- Mm-hm.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26- How much?- A thousand.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28A thousand, yeah?
0:52:28 > 0:52:30- Where did you shoot him?- In the leg.
0:52:30 > 0:52:32- And did he live?- Yeah, he lived.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36Murder would bring a lot of heat, you see what I'm saying?
0:52:36 > 0:52:38That's not good for business.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41'The drug was clearly beginning to take effect.'
0:52:41 > 0:52:42You having a little dance?
0:52:42 > 0:52:44Yeah, have a little tune in my head.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46Yeah?
0:52:46 > 0:52:49HE RAPS
0:52:51 > 0:52:52I'm good.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58'And then two young girls who were no more than 18 or 19
0:52:58 > 0:53:00'who had watched all of our filming
0:53:00 > 0:53:02'wanted to join in the party.
0:53:04 > 0:53:08'After witnessing drug taking and with two loaded guns on the side,
0:53:08 > 0:53:10'this seemed like a good time to leave.'
0:53:13 > 0:53:15Yeah, now, that was quite full-on. Erm...
0:53:17 > 0:53:19I think, probably, the main thing I took
0:53:19 > 0:53:21from having a chat from those lads
0:53:21 > 0:53:26was the idea that molly seems to have flooded into America now.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28You know, it does seems to be everywhere.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32And initially, I always associated it with being on the party scene,
0:53:32 > 0:53:33you know, it was a party drug.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35But they're saying it's very much a street drug now.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37And like every other street drug,
0:53:37 > 0:53:40the guys who are in charge are serious guys.
0:53:40 > 0:53:42You know, they're not mucking around.
0:53:46 > 0:53:50'Atlanta is a city troubled by guns, gangs and violence,
0:53:50 > 0:53:52'and much of this crime has its roots in the drug business,
0:53:52 > 0:53:55'and increasingly, that means molly.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59'Just a few miles away from the trap house,
0:53:59 > 0:54:02'I come across a scene only too familiar.'
0:54:04 > 0:54:06We've just driven past.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09And there's one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight police cars.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11I've had a chat with one of the officers,
0:54:11 > 0:54:13he said someone's been shot.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15I want to have a chat with a couple of the people floating about
0:54:15 > 0:54:17and see if it's drug-related.
0:54:20 > 0:54:21Hi.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23We just wondered if there were any eye witnesses
0:54:23 > 0:54:24that might like to talk.
0:54:24 > 0:54:28- Might be up there. - Up that way? OK, thank you.
0:54:29 > 0:54:30'This is the Bluff,
0:54:30 > 0:54:33'one of Atlanta's poorest neighbourhoods.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35'Police are a regular sight here.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38'I wanted to know if anyone had seen or heard anything.'
0:54:46 > 0:54:48- So two guys were arguing...- Yeah.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51- And he went back into that house... - And got his pistol.- ..got his gun
0:54:51 > 0:54:54- and shot the other guy three times? - Three times.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56- And you saw this?- Yeah.- Wow.
0:54:56 > 0:54:58- So the guy is in hospital now? - No, he's dead.
0:54:58 > 0:54:59- He's dead?- Yeah, he died.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04- Did you know him?- Yeah, I knew him.
0:55:04 > 0:55:05I've known him since he was a baby.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14Speaking to the eyewitness, the guy who lives here,
0:55:14 > 0:55:17he said that, you know, it's very normal,
0:55:17 > 0:55:22it's very usual for kids who sell dope to be carrying pistols.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25They were his exact words.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28They don't even hide them, you know, they openly carry them.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30They're not scared of anyone, they have no fear.
0:55:30 > 0:55:35Our eyewitness, you know, he knows the boy's father.
0:55:35 > 0:55:36Um...
0:55:36 > 0:55:39But he said he hears gunshots every single night of the week.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41You know, it's not uncommon.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51It's not clear if this shooting is connected to the molly trade,
0:55:51 > 0:55:53but one thing is obvious,
0:55:53 > 0:55:57in places like this, ecstasy has joined meth and crack
0:55:57 > 0:56:00as a street drug controlled by violent gangs.
0:56:02 > 0:56:03When I began this film,
0:56:03 > 0:56:07I thought MDMA was one of the less dangerous party drugs.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09But this is a drug that's changing.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12The cooks making molly are replacing MDMA
0:56:12 > 0:56:14with a whole range of chemicals,
0:56:14 > 0:56:17some of which can have devastating effects.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20The authorities may have slowed down
0:56:20 > 0:56:23the trade in safrole oil from Cambodia,
0:56:23 > 0:56:26but the alternatives could be even worse.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33'Next time, I travel to Africa.'
0:56:33 > 0:56:35This is Johannesburg.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37Everyone's got a gun expect me...
0:56:37 > 0:56:39and we're door-stepping drug dealers.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42'I find out about a new potent strain of skunk.'
0:56:42 > 0:56:45This smells so strong.
0:56:45 > 0:56:49'And I discover a highly addictive new cannabis mix.'
0:56:49 > 0:56:51I smoke until I die.
0:56:51 > 0:56:53I get crazy if I don't get this thing.