Zug student charged after importing illegal drugs

German customs investigators tracked down a student from Zug who has been importing illegal drugs for years. This is not an isolated case, and addiction experts are observing drug consumption in the canton of Zug with concern - especially among boys.

The Zurich cantonal police broke down the door to enter the 24-year-old's apartment. The reason for the heavy-handed action on a rainy Wednesday in December 2017 was a report from the Main Customs Office in Frankfurt am Main. Just over a month earlier, the German customs had intercepted a delivery addressed to the chemistry student – for the second time in six months.

The police found what they were looking for in the rooms of the Zug student, who only lives there during the week because of his studies in Zurich: laboratory instruments, drugs. medications. And among them 1 kilogram of sildenafil, better known as Viagra, whose import is only permitted with official permission. Which the young man didn’t have.

Xanax, LSD, Testosterone
He also shouldn’t have been in possession of the seven vials of Semax, a drug developed in Russia for the treatment of neurological disorders. Although this was intended as a nasal spray, the Zug student had diluted it with water and injected himself with it.

The police also came across amphetamines in unmarked envelopes, LSD residues on a stamped paper sheet, 123 diazepam tablets, a sleeping and sedative; 32 tablets of Xanax, a addictive drug for anxiety and panic disorders, as well as on seven ampoules of testosterone, as well as clomifene, anastrozole and tamip tablets – all drugs on the doping list. The police confiscated the substances, as well as two smartphones, a laptop, four USB sticks, a weighing scale and a white canister.

CHF 2,000 fine in second court case since 2015
On 13 March this year, the Swiss Medicines Institute Swissmedic announced its verdict against the 27-year-old in the administrative criminal proceedings. He had first come to the attention of the authorities in 2015, when 110 tablets of the erectile disfunction drug Vilitra were held at customs and then destroyed.

He received a fine of CHF 2,000 for multiple violations of the Health and Narcotics Act, by the successful and attempted importation of substances and preparations without authorisation. Legal costs of CHF 1,952.45 were added to the fine. The penalty was not higher for one reason: the young man did not want to resell the substances, and they were only intended for his own use. The chemistry student kept a detailed record of what he had consumed, and how he felt afterwards.

Medical drug abuse in the canton of Zug is on the increase

The files that have been made public did not reveal the details of his consumption. It thereby remains unclear when and how frequently he had taken several drugs at the same time. What is certain, however, is that he is alone in this: reports of illegal drug imports by post, Darknet deals, and, above all, a growing problem of drugs and medication consumption in young people have increased in recent months.

Deaths in Zurich and Basel
In the canton of Zurich, two teenagers died in mid-August due to respiratory paralysis caused mixed poisoning from morphine and Xanax. This was stated in an expert report by the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University of Zurich. And the death of a 15-year-old from Basel who allegedly consumed Xanax, LSD, cough juice and methadone became known in early October.

Experts warn of dangerous mixed consumption
Experts like Markus Meury of Addiction Switzerland (Sucht Schweiz) have the following to say about "multiple substance use" or "mixed consumption": "The effects of individual substances can be altered or amplified by mixed consumption. The effect is therefore no longer controllable, and can quickly become too much for the body."

Or potentially fatal, as Judith Haller of Addiction Counselling (Suchberatung) Zug says: "The effect of a combination of two or more substances usually does not correspond to the sum of the individual effects." And further: "In the worst case, this can lead to life-threatening conditions, such as respiratory arrest."

Adolescents in Zug are also increasingly consuming several substances at the same time, and drug abuse in general is on the rise, with more and more young people being charged by the police.

15-year-old "excessively" consumed amphetamines
Although the Zug police recorded 9% fewer violations of the Narcotics Act among young people last year (a total of 239 offences), the law enforcement authorities are also issuing a warning. In August 2019, for example, a 15-year-old had to be taken to hospital with lung damage after "excessively" snorting amphetamines. Police spokesman Frank Kleiner says: "The Youth Crime Service Section (Fachgruppe Dienst Jugenddelikte)  has been concerned for some time, and has repeatedly pointed out the development to specialist bodies."

A 2018 World Health Organization survey also shows that adolescents are more likely to misuse medications. A survey of 715 Swiss classrooms concluded that 4.5% of 15-year-old boys and 4.1% of girls had experimented with drugs at least once to experience a high. Although the figure for girls was the same as in a 2006 survey, the number of boys increased threefold.

In order to tackle the problem, the Zug Police relies on prevention, according to Frank Kleiner. The police remain in constant contact with the local authorities, schools, associations or companies, and aim to draw the attention of young people to the dangers.

Judith Haller of Addiction Counselling  Zug says: "In conversations with young people, one hears that they are sometimes not aware of the dangers of mixed consumption."

It seems undisputed that the Zug student knew what he was doing, however. Swissmedic's criminal notice states: "As a student of chemistry, the accused knew the properties of the substances he imported very well." The mitigating effect for him was, however, that he had been very cooperative in the proceedings. He has recognised the consequences of his lifestyle, Swissmedic notes. And he has "led an orderly life" since the house search in December 2017 and has "demonstrably tried to successfully complete his studies".

Drugs wanted, found, ordered in Telegram chat
In their crime statistics for last year, the Zug police stated: "The fact that narcotics of all kinds are also available to young people via social media is a matter of great concern." An example from Lucerne shows how easy and fast this is. There is a lively exchange about demand, supply and quality in a public group on the messenger service Telegramn and this on a daily basis and visible to everyone. As of Friday, there were 227 members of the group, some of whom were hiding behind pseudonyms, while some even used their own names. "lauft iwo amphi? (does anyone have amphetamines?)" asks user Szn Amnzi Koym on October 22. A good hour later, "Baba Haze" replied: "Ich ha amphi. Wetsch no. (I have amphetamines. Do you want some?)” Or user 1213, who was looking for "pharma benzos" – meaning benzodiazepines, i.e. anxiolytic drugs like Xanax, as found with the Zug student - on November 2^nd. For CHF 100 per bottle, "Jay North" sells codein-containing Makatussin cough syrup, known among adolescents as "Makka" or Lean, which, when mixed with soft drinks has a calming and euphoric effect after consumption, but also has a "high dependency potential", according to specialist agencies.