Up in Coke

Scoop Magazine #58, Summer 2011/12
Danielle Benda | 25 Aug 2010

Movie stars and rock singers have sparkled on it, Wall Street bankers have traded on it. Is it the turn of Perth’s high-stakes traders and partygoers to jump on the cocaine coach?

There’s this bloke who went to work for a company in the Perth finance industry. The job was excellent, the money great, the clients good and he loved the excitement in the office. But it didn’t take long to discover that the company buzz was fuelled by more than successful deals…

It’s an apocryphal tale but without doubt ?Perth is becoming a high-pressure, high-paying ?and hard-partying place to live and work. And, where you get money and prestige, you get cocaine.

As one source says, “The 80s way of doing business is coming back.”

Perth – known as the home of ecstacy and methamphetamine (ice) – is sniffing around for something with a little more cachet. WA police know for sure that they are seeing more cocaine.

“Ten years ago, a lot less people had access to consume cocaine, today more people are seeing a lot more coke around and people want it,” Detective Inspector Alan Morton from the Organised Crime Squad says. “The drug dealers ?are being asked for it.”

In 2008-9 there were the most cocaine arrests in Australia for a decade. Around 3kg of cocaine was picked up in WA and this year there have been several seizures – totalling about 1.5kg – at suburban Perth properties. Just as Scoop went to press in August, a 34-year-old man was arrested at his Adelaide Terrace home for trying to import 6kg of cocaine (worth $2.1m) from Arizona. Another bust in Melbourne in July netted 240kg of coke (with a street value of $84 million).

Cocaine’s glamour may be due to the way it is usually taken, by insufflation – snorting it as a fine powder – which means there’s no nasty association with needles. It could be the cost – at about $350 an ounce, only people with money to blow could take this over cheaper drugs. Or perhaps it is coke’s particular effect – it changes the way dopamine is processed in the brain, causing intense feelings of pleasure and relaxation, as well as super-confidence.

“It’s a mellow drug that doesn’t put you out of it but sort of makes you hyper-clued-in,” explains one occasional user. “You are more capable of dealing with things.

“Whereas dope makes you just want to go down south and hide out, coke gets you out on ?the town, talking to people,” he says.

It’s the drug of choice for rock stars and movie celebrities and has long been associated with the high-flyers in high-pressure, high-reward industries such as broking and banking. Tales of excess from Wall Street and the City of London have become the stuff of legend, but Melbourne and Sydney have also had their share of high-profile businessmen and lawyers whose lives have spiralled out of control on cocaine.

Neuroscientists say it is no surprise that trading and cocaine go together. Both involve taking risks, and dopamine levels surge when we attempt things like going sky diving, betting on stock price movements or hiding in an office toilet and snorting a line of coke.

People who take risks also have low levels of dopamine receptors and therefore try to shock the brain into a boost of the chemical through new situations. Coked-up London bankers also report that they got accustomed to a certain level of high excitement on the floor and used cocaine to continue the buzz into the evening.

Professor Simon Lenton is deputy director at Curtin University’s National Drug Research Institute and a clinical psychologist in private practice. He says stimulants like cocaine will make you more alert. “It will make you feel bullet-proof, like you can do anything and conquer anything, ?on top of the world.

“I can see why, if you’re in a high-pressure job and you need to be on your toes that stimulants might seem an attractive proposition,” he says.

“Because you feel alert and functioning at a faster rate, you will believe that you are thinking quicker but you may not necessarily be thinking accurately,” he explains. “You can be deluded ?into thinking that things are better than they ?are and rash decisions can get made.” Indeed, some commentators blamed cocaine for some ?of the decision-making leading to the global financial meltdown.

“People with a high disposable income are generally the ones doing it, from all types of professions including lawyers and accountants,” says one regular Perth cocaine user, Andrew, who works in the fashion industry.

Kathy, who also works in fashion, says: “I know people who have done it to get through their day or night. It’s a little ‘pick-me-up’. They would only have one line to make them feel better or not tired anymore. But I personally don’t know anyone who does it to perform well at work.”

Andrew agrees that most people who use it do so after hours. “People take it because it feels good, you have a sense of euphoria without the depression of pills and crystal meth. I wouldn’t ?say people use it for work because distractions ?and loss of concentration do occur. It’s much more of a social thing,” he says.

Most Perth cocaine users are to be found, as Fremantle footballer Michael Johnson was, in the club and party scene. (Johnson was arrested for cocaine possession outside a city nightclub in May).

“You don’t have to be anyone special to be taking it. It’s much more common than people think. People of all ages are taking it and it’s just not a big deal anymore,” says one young professional. “I know that if my mates are having a night out the majority of them will be on it at some stage of the night.”

But Andrew is not sure. “There is not a big scene in Perth, it is blown out off proportion by the media,” he says.
Prof Lenton says although there is anecdotal evidence of an increase in cocaine use here, claims that WA was in the midst of a cocaine storm could not be justified by available research. Surveys and hospital statistics suggest total numbers of people using it are relatively small but there is a problem in that people who use the drug don’t usually front up to interview studies of drug users so they probably slip “under the radar”. Those cocaine users who do participate in research are mostly “poly drug” users who use cocaine occasionally.

But another source says cocaine use does “occur in all industries where income and pressure is high”. And in the boom environment of WA, there are plenty of those.

As Detective Superintendent Charlie Carver says: “There’s a broader market. There are a lot ?of cashed-up people in this state.
“A lot of blue-collars and party-goers are doing it. And a lot of women are taking illicit drugs, more and more. Well, that’s equality for us.”

Another attraction of cocaine is that it leaves your system quickly.

“This is just a result of widespread drug ?testing in the resources industry,” commented ‘James of Perth’ in response to a recent news report about cocaine on Perthnow.com. “Most ?of the blokes I know in mining and resources ?used to have a drink and a joint on their time off, up until five or so years ago.

"Many turned to meth, because it is out of your system in two days, but it screws up your head. In the past two years, coke seems to be the drug the guys are gravitating to, seems to have less negative effects than amphetamines. And $250 worth for a long weekend supply is pretty good value for someone who earns three grand a week.”

Detective Inspector Morton says that some recent bad batches of methamphetamine also seemed to have put people off using ice and ?there was a definite increase in the amount of ?coke used at parties.

‘Mike’ who works in the nightclub industry is a cocaine user and small-time dealer. He says coke has become a lot more popular in the past few years but “I haven’t noticed a flood.”

Kathy agrees: “It’s not in excessive amounts, ?I feel only some people would have it as it is not as accessible as some other drugs such as pills ?and speed. And coke is expensive compared to the other drugs.”

While ecstasy is around $35 a tablet, cocaine costs between is $250 and $400 a gram. The typical using amount is around 0.5g.

“An eight ball is $800 to $1500, though you would only pay that upper amount if you were an idiot or absolutely desperate,” Andrew says. (An eight ball is an eighth of an ounce, it is supposed to be 3.54 grams). Mike says an eight-ball will get up to five people a great night out.

They agree that the quality of drug is not high in Perth. Police figures show cocaine purity can fluctuate between three and 68 per cent.

“We would only do it if we were planning to have a big night and wanted to make it extra fun,” says Kathy. “And it’s usually with three to five other people. It takes a bit to kick in... maybe 20 minutes, then you just feel good, happy, chatty. It doesn’t last too long... perhaps 30 minutes to 45 minutes then you need another line for people who want to feel good constantly.

“I would probably have three lines over five hours and that is enough to have a great night and feel really good.”
She says girls and guys of all ages take it. ?“I see young people like 18, 19, 20 doing it ?and have seen people in their 40s doing it. I ?think people with lots of spare cash, not many things to look after other than themselves ?and who are youngish are the people in the scene.

“They usually work in a ‘scene’ like bars, clubs, the fashion pack, musos. I know some people from those sorts of scenes and they do it regularly. It’s because they can afford it, or there is lots of free stuff going around and everyone is doing it... so why not?”

And she says it is not that hard to get hold ?of. “You could just ask around your group of friends and I’m sure someone would know someone else who could help get you in contact with the right person.”

But Mike says he is very careful to supply drugs only to people he knows. “It’s not a lifestyle, it’s not a big business making money, it helps out a bit but it’s not like I’m setting up a big cartel, that’d just be stupid, right?”

A mild-mannered, thoughtful person, Mike has a fair bit of the philosopher about him and he has given his drug use a lot of consideration. He is passionate about music and for him, cocaine gives him a certain freedom of mind ?he has come to cherish.

He describes coke’s effect as a mild confidence booster, without the overpowering, sometimes overwhelming effect of other drugs.

“Music for me is the real drug and cocaine ?will help to sustain that and complement the experience with music,” he explains. “And I ?have these great conversations that I do remember in the morning. It’s a social thing, with friends, it’s good harmless fun. You’re very controlled under it, you don’t see people behaving unsociably on it.”

Most of us would not even necessarily know when someone else had used cocaine.

“You’re able to engage and to drop your inhibitions,” he says. “You still respect the law ?and other people’s opinions.
“It will complement a time and a moment, without the extreme euphoria of, say, ecstasy. It’s not to fill a hole in my life but to enhance a moment, it’s like I have a drink.

“It’s not for everybody,” he continues. “Some people can’t handle it. And some people can’t handle their booze.”
Mike reckons that half the high some people get from using cocaine is to do with the glamour associated with the drug and the notion that they’re living the high life.

“It’s a placebo thing, it’s become glamorous, it all goes to help create the myth. It’s expensive so only people of a certain economic standing can afford it. People want to live the dream.”

But Mike doesn’t know people using drugs at work. “Most people would have enough respect for their work not to do that,” he says. “I can’t categorise the typical user and I can’t say whether it would help under stress, but it does get you in a nice little bubble.

“But most people wouldn’t take the piss like that. But maybe merchant bankers – well, they’d be taking the piss anyway.”
While Andrew says “a friend of a friend” experienced drug-induced psychosis, Mike says ?he has never come across people being addicted ?to cocaine, nor is he aware of anyone having a ?bad experience on coke. And as for overdosing: “You’d have to be very silly and greedy and to take such a big quantity.”

Kathy has not had a bad experience either. “I know someone who was on the edge. They had lots of money and got an addiction. It became a daily part of their lives.

“They were able to function normally and hold down a job but they knew it was not right and then their family eventually found out and they stopped.”

Mike is not aware of people getting into financial trouble because of drugs although some people have been a bit slow paying their coke bills. “It’s a luxury, but people are not hocking their houses,” he says. “It’s like drinking Dom instead of Grant Burge’s.”

Professor Lenton does not mince words: “If people are saying it’s got ?no problems they have got their head in the sand,” he says. “There aren’t any free rides. Everything has got an up side and a down side. People will say, ‘I’m not a problematic user,’ but it’s not just about dependence, there are also problems due to being intoxicated that people don’t expect.”

As with any form of intoxication, cocaine can lead people to make bad decisions, have health problems, money and relationships issues and problems with the law if they get caught. “When they do come to the attention of the police, things can come crashing down.”

Professor Lenton says that stimulants such as cocaine can induce paranoia and anxiety. On top of that, increased heart rate puts users at greater risk of heart attack and higher blood pressure. Cocaine will also reduce appetite and cause a dry mouth and can bring on unpredictable explosive outbursts and violence.

High doses of cocaine could also be responsible for muscle twitching, nausea, fitting, strokes, heart arrhythmia, high body temperatures, heart attacks and even sudden death.

“There are large individual differences in tolerance and susceptability. It is not a standardised product. Drugs that push our systems to the limit can make you… blow a gasket. It is rare, but it can happen.”

Heavy cocaine use is followed by a crash characterised by sleep, intense appetite and depression. Over time a binge-and-bust cycle will lead to long term problems such as insomnia, low sex drive, light sensitivity and other migraine-like symptoms.

And then there are the well-publicised side effects like the deviated septum from stuffing your nose full of powder.
But it may not be a physical drug addiction that causes problems, says Professor Lenton. “A psychological addiction comes when people trick themselves into believing that they can’t do something without having a drug to help them along.

“They are pairing together working under pressure, or whatever, with that drug and then they start to believe that they need to have that drug to do what they do. That is a psychological dependence. My work in therapy is to break that association.”

One Perth professional describes how her marriage fell apart after ?her husband (a Sydney IT and finance specialist) regularly cleaned out their bank account to fund his cocaine habit. Compared to chasing the high of drug use, his marriage seemed to have slipped right down his list of priorities.

Other friends of drug users report how ?they find everything boring and dull and not worth spending time on, compared with the thrill of a cocaine-induced high.

“What often brings people in to seek help is when their relationships start to suffer,” Professor Lenton says. “It is not true to say that people have to hit rock bottom before they come in to see me but there may be a heart problem or a brush with the law. It’s silly things that get them into trouble, such as bringing out the coke in the wrong circle.”

While Prof Lenton is keen not to overstate the numbers of people using coke in WA, which he says is still constrained by a lack of supply and the tyranny of distance (most coke is produced in Columbia), police warn that there could soon be an end to the supply issues.

Detective Inspector Morton says we are prepared to pay a lot more for cocaine than in other parts of the country, and certainly more than dealers will get for it in America or Europe (in the UK it is £40 an ounce).

“There is a lot of cash readily available to party hard and criminal networks are taking advantage of that,” he says.
The police are also convinced that Australia is increasingly being targeted by big international cartels. The 240kg found in Melbourne came from Mexico and there is evidence that Mexican crime syndicates are operating here.

“The US market is saturated, it has been saturated for years, so the suppliers have to look elsewhere, they look to Australia, it’s miles away but people here are prepared to pay three or four times the amount, so they’ll tale the risk of being intercepted at the borders. It’s a big risk to take but it’s big risk, high rewards.”

DI Morton and Detective Superintendent Carver agree that we may only have seen the thin edge of the wedge with cocaine use in Perth.?“We don’t know what can occur if there is an amount of coke, a flood of cocaine. So we are bracing up to see if we can turn it the other way around,” says DS Carver.

“If we start getting bombarded with shipments of cocaine, the price will drop, but what will be the price to the community?”
DS Carver says we have to overcome the notion that we need certain drugs to perform. From drinking to excess at parties or taking caffeine tablets before a football game.

“You know 20 years ago it was acceptable to drink and drive but through education and enforcement and communication about how bad these things are for you… it isn’t now. So I hope that it won’t be acceptable to do a rail of coke or a rail of amphetamine before you go to a party.”

As DI Morton says: “People are still trying to find the edge, they are expected to put in extra hours, to work 24/7 and to always have their mobiles. They think this (drug) can give them the edge, keep them very sharp.

“There are questions about the whole work-life balance. We have to try to balance time so we don’t fall over. We need education to make people aware that they are vulnerable.

"We really need business and other industry to get on the front foot, so it’s not condoned as a culture tacitly by the bosses.”