No ‘Mercedes’ in Middelburg
Despite Middelburg being on the drug highway, it seems that none of the new lethal 'ecstasy on steroids', with the street name Mercedes, have made its way to our streets.
The death of 12 young people and the hospitalisation of 58 others in KwaZulu Natal recently, drew attention to a cheap form of ecstasy, called Mercedes. Whether it is a bad batch of ecstasy or an entirely new drug, is still unknown.
KZN police have formed a task team to tackle the drug head on. They are convinced that it is a completely new drug. But taking into account that a recent bust saw police confiscate 600 000 ecstasy tablets, a bad batch can do just as much damage.
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A trusted source in Crime Intelligence said that ecstasy is not a common occurrence in Middelburg. And when the drug is discovered, it is usually found on someone that brought it back from Gauteng.
In 2014, well known Durban businessman Greg Ayres and Bulgarian national Valeri Nikolov, appeared in the Middelburg Magistrates Court after they were arrested on the N4, allegedly in possession of ecstasy with an estimated value of R85 million. It was believed that the pills were destined for KwaZulu Natal.
The men, charged with dealing in drugs, will appear in court again in September.
