a saga of drugs

Illicit drugs in the news today – in a big way and in several states.

In Victoria, according to the Herald Sun, school principals have hired sniffer dogs and of fifty secondary schools tested drugs and dealers were found in almost half of them.  The drugs included cocaine, speed and cannabis.

In another drug story the half-brother of Schapelle Corby is in court on a series of drug-related charges in Queensland.

James Kisina, Corby’s cousin and a New Zealand man who only been in the country a few weeks, allegedly targeted the home of suspected drug dealers and, wearing balaclavas, and armed with iron bars and machetes, broke in around 4a.m. tied up the woman and beat her partner with an iron bar before leaving with some marijuana, $1000 and  a video camcorder.

Kisina originally claimed he broke in search of information to help Corby who is serving a twenty year jail term in Indonesia after being caught with a huge stash of marijuana at Bali Airport. Kisina accompanied her to Bali.

Kisina lives with his and Corby’s mother,  Rosleigh Rose. During the Corby trial her mother would tell anybody who would listen that her family hated drugs. Would have nothing to do with drugs.

Yet, in court yesterday it was claimed by Police that when they raided the Corby house they found five times as much pot as had been stolen in the early morning raid.

And in another drug story.  A frail, 82-year-old man – attacked and robbed by his heroin-addicted grandson who lived with him – begged a court to send him to jail “to clean up his act”.

Brett Russel, stole $500 from his grandfather’s ATM and when he returned to the house next day he bashed his grandfather and damaged a door  because Bill Miller wouldn’t give him $100. He then wrecked a TV set and damaged a door.

He shot up in his grandfather’s lounge room and fell asleep. Miller called Police and turned him in.

Which raises the question would you turn your son or daughter in to Police? Would you only do it as a last resort? Or  would you do it because you believed it was the only way to shock them into getting help?  And of course to protect other members of your family and your property. For some people it would be a tough call. But then when you have been threatened with violence, lied to and stolen from then maybe it’s not such a hard call at all.

Thursday, March 9, 2006

©Copyright Derryn Hinch 2006