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Australias Meth Highway: Players inside Australia’s crystal meth supply chain break their code of silence.

AceNewsDesk – The ice pipeline: Inside Australia’s crystal meth supply ⛓️🔗⛓️

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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published:Apr.24: 2024: Watch Four Corners: Meth Highway, tonight from 8.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview. Do you know more about this story? Contact Four Corners here. TELEGRAM Ace Daily News Link https://t.me/YouMeUs2 

In a suburban Melbourne kitchen, a man with his face obscured by two hoodies and sunglasses pulls out a glass pipe, crumbles in a white mixture and heats it. Smoke swirls out and he inhales sharply. “ Drugs don’t really affect me anymore,” he says, exhaling. This man is no ordinary drug user. He’s a crystal meth — or “ice” — cook and dealer.

A blue-gloved hand holds a flame under a glass pipe which has white smoke coming out
A smoking ice pipe.(Four Corners)normal

Australia is one of the most lucrative markets in the world for methamphetamines.

In the year to August 2023, the country smoked, snorted and shot up about 10 and a half tonnes of the stuff — a 17 per cent increase on the year before, and more than double the amount of cocaine. It’s a highly addictive stimulant that can have devastating consequences. For months we’ve delved deep into the drug’s murky supply chain to find out who is keeping the meth flowing into Australia, retracing the journey it takes to get to our streets from one of its sources in South-East Asia.

Three large white crystals on a brown tray with a piece of foil nearby.
Rocks of crystal meth.(Four Corners)normal

This is a highly secretive, illicit world. It can be difficult to verify everything people tell us. But the stories these figures share match much of what we have discovered during the investigation.

It all starts at the bottom, with the man in the two hoodies.

The dealer

He asks us to call him Brendan. It’s taken ages to gain his trust, and when we finally meet, we have no idea he’s going to give us a cooking demonstration. He pulls out a bag of huge white crystals that have “just come off a block”.

A man disguised in a hoodie and sunglasses looks into the camera.
‘Brendan’.(Four Corners)normal

Just one gram of this would be worth more than $300, he says. So how much for an entire rock?

“I think if you put this out on the street, you’ll get rolled,” he replies. Brendan places a tub of powder commonly used for muscle and joint pain relief on the kitchen bench. “ It liquefies and re-solidifies at the same rate that ice does,” he explains.

“ It’s on special right now at Chemist Warehouse.” 

Using a foil boat and a lighter, Brendan shows us one part of the process used to “cut” ice – the way some dealers dilute the drug with a cheap substitute to increase its volume and maximise their profits.

It’s a risky business.

“If I was to extend the product physically, I’m really looking at changing a five-year sentence to a 15-year sentence,” he says, describing the increased prison sentence for manufacturing the drug.

Two blue-gloved hands hold a white and blue plastic tub with the writing on it blurred
Brendan dilutes his ice with an over-the-counter product.(Four Corners)normal

After sampling his mixture, Brendan says the meth in Australia has changed.

A blue-gloved hand holds a small plastic bag containing a large white crystal.
Brendan’s rocks of ice.(Four Corners)normal

“ Back in the day when we had a lot of pseudo[ephedrine] in the country, we had a lot of good cooks; some of the best in the world,” he says.

“[Now] it’s just easier to have it made overseas.” Brendan says we need to talk to those much higher up the supply chain to understand what’s going on.

The distributor

“Jay”, as he wants to be known, wipes his forehead to stop beads of sweat from rolling into his eyes. He’s jittery and nervous. It’s rare for someone who has operated at his level to speak on camera.

A man in a black shirt sits in the dark in front of a window.
Jay was once a high-level distributor.

To run a meth syndicate, you need several key players.

First, you need a manufacturer to produce the drugs, usually overseas; then traffickers to get them across the borders into Australia; then an enforcer to keep everyone in line; and a distributor, who facilitates the supply of drugs onto the streets through a network of dealers. Jay says he used to be a high-level distributor, until he was done for trafficking, and is no longer in the business. He wasn’t always a high roller. He tells us he started out selling cannabis as a teenager, but dealing weed was exhausting. “ On a daily basis I was getting at least 70, 80 phone calls. Like, I couldn’t even sit down to have [a] proper meal,” he says.

A man wearing a black shirt and an earring sits in a darkened room.
‘Jay’.(Four Corners)normal

He first heard about meth when someone offered him a bag to sell for a “ridiculous” amount. It took him less than two days.

A man's hands are seen with his fingers laced together
He is nervous about speaking out.(Four Corners)normal

When the meth trade was good, he says, he was making about $30,000 to $40,000 a week.

When he saw what it did to his clients, Jay says he was disgusted. “ They had the kids running around in nappies … the nappies hasn’t been changed in the past two, three days.” But the way he saw it, he was looking after them. “ If they don’t grab it from me, they’ll grab from elsewhere … Someone else could probably give ’em shit product.” Jay says when he was a distributor, a kilogram was considered a large amount of crystal meth. Today, he says people talk in tonnes and half tonnes. “ That’s where the Triads come in.”

The enforcer

Violence is the only form of regulation within the drugs trade, and “Johnny” used to be an enforcer — or the “muscle” — for an Asian organised crime syndicate. In an upmarket hotel room overlooking the Yarra, he leans forward in his chair.

A man in a black baseball cap and black T-shirt sits in front of a window.
‘Johnny’.(Four Corners)normal

“ I’m loyal to the people I’m with and I’m aggressive and violent to protect them,” he says.

“A lot of people do have nightmares … I sleep great.” Triads are secret societies that date back to 17th-century China. Initially, they were mutual aid groups formed in opposition to the Qing dynasty. Today, they’re synonymous with Asian organised crime globally — including in Australia. Underworld sources tell us there’s a hierarchy among Triads here; Melbourne Triads report to Sydney, Sydney to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Macau, and Macau to Triads in mainland China. Johnny won’t comment on that, he just says Triads are well-organised and disciplined. “ To them, business is more important than violence.” Johnny says Triads only use violence when they need it, “but if someone else is doing it, not them, [that’s] smart, right?”

A man in a black baseball cap and black T-shirt sits in front of a window.
Johnny worked for an organised crime syndicate.(Four Corners)normal

Johnny knows all about violence.

A man's arm with colourful sleeve tattoos.
He says he protected those he worked for.(Four Corners)normal

He says he was initially a good kid but in his early teens started hanging out with a troubled child and getting into fights.

He went on to serve 16 years in prison for hacking a man to death with a samurai sword. “ I can’t hold back. Even if you pull me back, I will go forward again,” he says. “ If I seen him bleeding, I want to see more bleeding. “ That’s not normal.” Johnny says he’s no longer involved in that world. For years, several Triads operated in a lucrative network called The Company, which at its height was thought to be earning as much as $17 billion a year – and Australia was a key market. The man police allege was head of The Company, Tse Chi Lop — also known as Sam Gor — was arrested in 2021 and eventually brought to Australia to face charges of trafficking methamphetamine. He’s currently awaiting committal in a Melbourne prison. The volume of crystal meth coming into Australia has increased more than 500 per cent in the past decade.

There are two major sources of production: Latin America and South-East Asia, where we travelled to learn more.

It’s rush hour in the Golden Triangle — a mountainous region that covers the borderlands of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, and the heartland of meth production in the region. At a checkpoint in Mae Sai, northern Thailand, authorities are on high alert. Police with sniffer dogs are stopping traffic, looking for drugs, mainly methamphetamines, that might have slipped across the border from Myanmar as they make their way into the global market.

The back of a man's head looking at approaching vehicles on a road.
Security at a checkpoint.(Four Corners)normal

Patrick Winn, an investigative reporter who has studied Asian drug markets for a decade, says the people at the very top of the meth trade are usually Chinese and they operate in these regions.

“They will form these networks to produce a giant load of meth, and if it’s making money, they’ll do it again,” he says. But they’re not always Triads.The people at the top of the trade in South-East Asia are often from China.(Four Corners)normal. These people are interested in business, and their sons and daughters go to nice private schools, and they live in normal neighbourhoods,” he says. “ They’re just really good at moving things from A to B.” We’re here to meet a man who works in one of Myanmar’s meth super labs, just a few kilometres away.

The lab worker

Wearing a balaclava, and calling himself “Mr A”, this man is speaking to us at great danger to himself. The day before we meet, the Thai military shot and killed 15 meth mules as they tried to cross the border. “ My job is, I work with the Por Kru. That’s what we call the master,” he says. “ The master crystallises the ice, then carts it out to the laboratory.” “ Then I seal the bag and pack them … And then take it over to Thailand.” Mr A shows us how he wraps a kilogram of a white crystal substance in carbon paper. He then packs it into a teabag and seals it. In the lab, he says he packs anywhere from 10 to 50 teabags a day like this — sometimes the lab produces up to 50 kilograms a day. Mr A used to play sport at a high level but got injured, so he started using and selling meth. Then he got a job in the lab, which he says pays well. Each time the drug crosses a border, its price jumps. At the point of production in Myanmar, a kilogram of crystal meth can be as low as $1,500. Once it moves into northern Thailand, it sells for $3,000 to $5,000 per kilogram. By the time it gets to Australia, the wholesale price is usually more than $60,000. Mr A is cagey when we ask who owns the lab he works in. Then he says: “ I can’t tell you the name … The owner is from Wa … United Wa State Army.”

The militia

It would be easy to overlook Khun Lu, the deputy secretary of political organisation the Wa National Organisation (WNO). Wearing a baseball cap and denim jacket, he’s understated and speaks very little. The Wa are a people indigenous to Myanmar and China, and we’re trying to cross the border into Myanmar to visit the military wing of Lu’s organisation, the Wa National Army. They’re not sure they can guarantee our security. We’re told an international media organisation has never set foot on their army base or interviewed any of its current leaders before. Four Corners is told the WNA has connections to another organisation, the United Wa States Army (UWSA), the largest ethnic armed group in Myanmar that profits enormously from the meth trade and enjoys support from China. The majority of crystal meth that ends up on Australian streets from this region is likely produced in super labs on territory controlled by the UWSA.Barbed wire in the mountains. Jeremy Douglas, from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, has led the UN’s anti-drug operations in the Golden Triangle for more than a decade. He says recent measurements put the meth economy here at about $70 billion. But since the coup in Myanmar in 2021, governance has deteriorated and internal fighting between the military junta and ethnic armed groups has raged. The absence of law and order is partly responsible for the surge in meth production, he says. “ This is no longer a policing issue when it gets to this level of production and trafficking and use.”  “ It’s one of those things that needs to have a public discussion … It requires a response that’s political in nature.” Lu tells us we can cross the border early the next morning. We’re asked to dress more like tourists and hide our large camera.A soldier guards the base.

At 7am we jump on scooters with Wa security forces and reach a base the size of a few football fields on a flat hilltop. About 200 fighters are living here in huts with outdoor kitchens.

We’re introduced to the commander of this particular militia, Colonel Lu Mong, who points out the hilltops a few kilometres away where there’s been fighting.

“When the Karenni are fighting with Tatmadaw [the Myanmar military], we can hear the sound of cannon fire,” he says.

“We can hear when a helicopter comes and also the gunfire.”Colonel Lu Mong.

Reporter Patrick Winn says it’s usually Chinese syndicates which are ultimately responsible for running the super labs in Myanmar, and armed groups act more like landlords.

“They’ll usually sit it next to a stream — it takes a lot of water to make meth — and the armed group will take a tax of the meth production [and] make sure that it’s not raided by cops,” he says.

Revenue from the labs can go towards buying anything from weapons to medical supplies to new roads in impoverished parts of the country, and any leader faced with these challenges would make similar choices, he says.

“If someone put one of the MPs of the UK or Australia … in charge of one of these groups, by day two, they would be looking at the drug trade.”A soldier.

Colonel Lu Mong says the WNA does not support the drug trade.

“We are against it”, he says emphatically.

But, he concedes, it’s not the case for other armed groups.

“Right now, there’s fighting in our country. That’s why some groups are getting what they need through the drug trade.”

While our investigation might have reached a source, it’s only one, and the most damaging issue lies back with addiction in Australia.

“If there’s demand on the Australian side for more crystal meth, if it’s really moving, the order can go all the way back up to the meth labs in Myanmar, and they have the capacity to produce more,” Winn says.

“The flow is so heavy, it’s just unstoppable.”Meth dealer and cook ‘Brendan’ with his ice pipe.

AFP Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney tells Four Corners that police are “having an impact both domestically and internationally, but unfortunately, Australia still has an insatiable demand for drugs”.

In recent weeks, the front line has shifted to meet that demand, with North American-produced methamphetamine – primarily from Mexico – now surpassing supply from South-East Asia.

Deputy Commissioner McCartney says the AFP is working with its international partners to both seize illegal drugs destined for our shores and affect the arrest and prosecution of high-value targets behind the organisation of their importation.

“We know where these people are. We know what countries they’re in … and we are coming after them.”

Credits

Story by: Mahmood Fazal and Mayeta Clark

Research: Dylan Welch

Editing and production: Kate Sullivan

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Australian News

Australias Vapes Drive: Causing rise in calls to poison hotline from parents of children exposed to nicotine

A warning about nicotine dangers showing a toddler near a vaping device.
A warning released by Kidsafe, which has launched a new campaign.(Kidsafe)

AceBusinessDesk – Vaping and the availability of e-cigarettes and other nicotine products are behind a rise in calls to the National Poisons Information Centre, accident prevention authorities have warned.  

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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published:Apr.24: 2024: ABC Business News: TELEGRAM Ace Daily News Link https://t.me/YouMeUs2 

five colourful vapes standing on a black-coloured counter
Data shows toddlers are increasingly being exposed to vape products. (Reuters: Sandra Sanders)normal

SA Health data shared by child accident prevention group Kidsafe SA reveals the number of nicotine-related calls from South Australians to the Poison Information Centre rose to 78 last year, compared to 53 in 2022.

The bulk of those calls related to vaping products, while the biggest contributor to the jump was in children under the age of five, with 41 reported exposures to e-cigarette liquids and devices in that age bracket. “[Parents] were calling because they had noticed that their child had in their hands either a vape device or the vape liquid or a cigarette butt,” Kidsafe SA CEO Holly Fitzgerald said. “ It is a frightening thought that young children continue to be getting their hands on these products and the results can be catastrophic.”

A warning about nicotine dangers showing a toddler near a vaping device.
A warning released by Kidsafe, which has launched a new campaign.(Kidsafe)

Of the total number of reported cases, eight involved children being taken or referred to hospital, and more than 30 involved fears children had swallowed, not just inhaled nicotine substances.

“More nicotine-type products are coming onto the market, and that is a real concern … from a child safety and injury prevention perspective,” Ms Fitzgerald said. “ The nicotine products are often flavoured, they smell really nice, they’re colourful and bright. “ We know that vape devices are very much like that so, they are very attractive to young children … if they do get their hands on a nicotine device such as a vape or vape liquid, they’ll often imitate their parents and put it in their mouth.” In 2018, an 18-month-old child died in Victoria after consuming “the substance his mother had been mixing with vape juice for an e-cigarette”, the state’s Coroners Court reported at the time. “ Baby J’s mother found him with an open bottle of the highly toxic liquid in his mouth, after she had inadvertently turned her attention from the child to put some bottles of vape juice away,” court authorities said following the inquest.

A woman in a blazer stands behind nicotine and vaping products in front of the KidSafe sign
Holly Fitzgerald says potentially deadly products continue to enter the market.(ABC News: Lincoln Rothall)

Ms Fitzgerald said the tragedy highlighted the urgent need for better awareness of the dangers, and that Kidsafe SA was launching a new campaign with that aim in mind.

“The South Australian Poison Information Centre calls are consistent with what other states and territories are finding in terms of the increased number of nicotine exposures and young children,” she said. “ You should treat your nicotine products like you would any other poison. “ They need to be locked up high and out of the way.” Kidsafe said any parent who feared their child had put nicotine in their mouth or on their skin should ring the 24-hour Poisons Information Centre immediately on 13 11 26 — but in emergencies, such as those in which children had collapsed or were not breathing should urgently call triple-0 (000) for an ambulance first.

Risk of ‘copying adult behaviours’

Recent moves to crack down on the availability of e-cigarettes include last week’s joint statement from state and territory ministers calling on federal parliament to pass bans on the import, manufacture and sale of vapes.

Earlier this year, more than 13 tonnes of disposable vapes were intercepted in Adelaide, where public vaping bans have been extended to areas around schools, shopping centres, beaches, buildings and sporting grounds.

Tough new smoking laws introduced in Queensland last year allowed that state’s health authorities to stamp down on vapes, seizing more than 40,000 of them.

SA Health has expressed support for Kidsafe’s campaign.

Boxes of vapes stacked next to each other on display
The SA government has moved to stamp down on illegal vapes.(ABC News: Rory McClaren)

Its executive director of health protection and regulation, Chris Lease, said parents should be aware that nicotine poisoning was potentially fatal.

“Symptoms can range from nausea, vomiting and seizures to cardiac and respiratory failure,” Dr Lease said. “ It is important to avoid smoking cigarettes and vaping in front of toddlers to reduce the risk of them copying adult behaviours. “ As with any product that contains nicotine, e-cigarette vaporisers, equipment and liquids, nicotine gum, lozenges, mist, patches, inhalers, cigarettes and tobacco must be stored securely and out of reach of children.”

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Australia National Zoo & Aquarium welcomes a ‘cheeky’ baby zebra to its herd as part of a successful breeding program

Baby zebra
They estimate the foal weighs around 40 kilograms.The baby is already cheeky and not afraid to annoy its big brothers and dad.(ABC News: Mark Moore)

AceBreakingNews – Canberra zoo’s newest member, a baby zebra, has become the 27th to be born as part of their captive breeding program. 

Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published:Apr.23: 2024: TELEGRAM Ace Daily News Link https://t.me/YouMeUs2 

The foal, whose sex isn’t yet known and who hasn’t had a name chosen, was born earlier this week. The Canberra Zoo & Aquarium said it was already doing “zoomies” around the yard, and is the second foal to be born to mum Kiva. Zookeepers will have to wait a few weeks before they can get close enough to check up on the animal, weigh it and find out its sex due to its mum’s protective instincts. 

Baby zebra
They estimate the foal weighs around 40 kilograms.The baby is already cheeky and not afraid to annoy its big brothers and dad.(ABC News: Mark Moore)

Zookeeper Olivia Ware said staff had first noticed the new arrival early on Wednesday morning, but it’s believed the baby was born the night before. 

“I looked over at mum and thought ‘oh, she looks different’. She has too many … oh my gosh, too many legs,” she said. Ms Ware said both mum and baby were doing well. “ She’s keeping away from the rest of the herd and doing all the things she should be doing,” she said. “ We’re seeing baby drink and having naps and doing zoomies.”

Ms Ware said the new arrival was a “bit cheeky” and was brave enough to be running away from mum.

“This foal is more than happy to go annoy its big brothers and dad which is funny to watch,” she said. As to whether the foal is black with white stripes or white with black stripes, Ms Ware said that was for the public to decide.

Two zebras near a rock
This foal is Kiva’s second and mum is very protective of it.(ABC News: Mark Moore)

Baby will be named soon 

It will be a few weeks before zookeepers can get close enough to the baby to find out its sex.

They will also wait to see what its personality is like before they give it a name.

“We like to see the personality of the foal and then get a name from that,” Ms Ware said. 

Zebra face
Zebras aren’t endangered in the wild but they are threatened by urbanisation.(ABC News: Mark Moore)

Zoo is part of multiple breeding programs 

Successful births are nothing new for the National Zoo and Aquarium, which is part of a network of internationally accredited breeding programs, including that of the Australia-wide plain zebra.  Zebras have a long gestation period of about a year, Ms Ware said, but for the last little while, a new baby has been born to the herd every six months or so. 

Some of the animals born in Canberra will eventually go on to travel around the country and pair up with other animals. Some of those are for critically-endangered species like black and white rough lemurs and cotton top tamarins. 

“Being able to be part of that and breed new offspring is fantastic,” Ms Ware said. “ We can add to the insurance population that is held in captivity and continue that species.” While plain zebras aren’t endangered in the wild, Ms Ware said zoos were working towards becoming “insurance populations” for animals. “ Even if they are not endangered, we don’t know what will come in the future,” she explained. “ If something happens in the wild, the eventual goal would be to release them.”

Zoo veterinarian Joanne Johnson said despite zebras not being endangered, they were facing challenges.  “ The big ones for these guys are definitely habitat loss and over-hunting,” she explained. 

“With urbanisation … these guys need a lot of space and so when fences are put up and roads are built and those kind of things, it impacts the way they can move across and their natural habitat.”

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Australian News

STORY: Bhutanese Community Farm in Victoria helps families build new life in Australia

AceNewsDesk – Sitting by the banks of the Murray River in north-eastern Victoria is an outcrop of plants and colour, surrounded by grazing cattle and native birds.

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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published:Apr.22: 2024: ABC Environment News: TELEGRAM Ace Daily News Link https://t.me/YouMeUs2 

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Discovering this collection of miniature paddocks and garden beds, complete with shady lanes and climbing vegetables, would surprise any wandering tourist, who might feel like they have entered a tranquil farming village in south Asia.

Harka Bista and DInesh stand in front of raised garden beds in the community farm.
Harka Bista and Dinesh Rai are always looking for ways to improve the community farm.(ABC Goulburn Murray: Jason Katsaras)

It is this peace that Bhutanese Community Farm secretary Harka Bista credits with improving the mental health of his large Bhutanese community in the region, many of whom moved from an agrarian lifestyle to the concrete and asphalt suburbs of country Victoria.

“We realised that most of our community was coming from an agricultural background and so the idea to start a farm came,”  Mr Bista said. “ We wanted to rid ourselves from mental health issues and trauma, particularly for those who had trauma coming from a refugee background. “ It was important that people have a social connection with each other, to share produce and share our culture. “ We go to work and come back here afterwards to sit and share among each other how they grew food back in Bhutan, and share those tips and ideas.”

A view of the community farm along a fenceline. A rainwater tank towers over farm plots in the farm.
The Bhutanese Community Farm is hoping to expand its footprint to accommodate more cultural groups and farmers.(ABC Goulburn Murray: Jason Katsaras)

But, Mr Bista explained, it took some time for farming practices to be relevant, as the majority of Bhutanese refugees spent nearly 20 years in refugee camps in eastern Nepal before being resettled in Australia.

“The seven different camps were in Nepal run by the UN — we weren’t able to leave, after years we even tried to go back to Bhutan but couldn’t,” he said. “ I was 17 when we arrived in the camp and I was 35 years old when we came to Australia.” After resettling, in 2015 the newly arrived Bhutanese community in Albury Wodonga established the support of the local council and began to grow a sense of belonging in a new environment. For the cost of water (around $20 a year), families could claim a parcel of land to grow fresh produce.  Importantly, the farm is completely organic due to its proximity to the Murray River.

Tikal stands with his daughter and parents in the community farm, all four are smiling and crops can be seen in the background.
Tikal Subdi (centre) enjoys tending to his plot at the community farm with his daughter Seren and parents-in-law Eradeep and Sindira Dhaka.(ABC Goulburn Murray: Jason Katsaras)

Opening the doors 

Six years after the garden’s founding, the board saw a need to include other new migrant groups in the scheme who, despite coming from other parts of the world, shared a common history of farming and food-sharing. The fruits of labour have also empowered all the communities to help the needy in their adopted country, with 6,000 meals donated to local food charities every year. Mr Bista said the farm became a cultural melting pot and dozens of new vegetables began to appear. “ The different cultures grew different veggies to us but we began to share tips and skills with each other, as well as food,” he said.

Foundation member Bhakti Dhamala has since farmed alongside Filippino, Indian and Congolese families.

“It’s fantastic, it’s more vibrant, it’s colourful, we’re learning other culture and languages,” Mrs Dhamala said. “ It’s become more welcoming, we don’t need to go to any language classes now. “ When we see African people for example we say ‘jambo’ or ‘shava shava’. We learn all the greetings.”

Bhakti stands in front of her crop at the community farm.
Bhakti Dhamala enjoys sharing and exchanging her produce with her plot neighbours.(ABC Goulburn Murray: Jason Katsaras)

Mrs Dhamala, who spent 19 years in the same refugee camp as Mr Bista, said her parents relished the opportunity to pass down their knowledge and skills of farming.

“They really missed it, and at first they were stuck at home,” she said. “ This was a great opportunity for all of our elders. They didn’t need counsellors’ mental health support once they started coming to the farm and talking to others.” Mrs Dhalama said the idea should be spread to other communities, particularly with migrant populations. “ It should grow, to all areas,” she said.

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‘Strong evidence’ suggests parasitic disease coccidiosis killed 150 Northern Territory cattle

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AceNewsDesk – Investigations into the deaths of about 150 Northern Territory cattle suggest the likely cause was a parasitic disease known as coccidiosis.

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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published:Apr.22: 2024: ABC Environment News: TELEGRAM Ace Daily News Link https://t.me/YouMeUs2 

a grey Brahman cow looking at the camera, with other cattle behind.
The NT’s chief vet has been investigating a ‘significant mortality event’ at a cattle export depot near Darwin.(ABC Rural: Michelle Stanley)normal

When about 100 cattle started showing signs of illness while on board a live export vessel to Indonesia last month, a similar event was unfolding at an export depot near Darwin where about 50 cattle died.

The cattle all originated from a station near Ti Tree in Central Australia and had been trucked north to Darwin, where they were kept for a couple of weeks ahead of shipping. It was originally reported the cattle had probably died of botulism, but NT chief vet Dr Rob Williams confirmed to ABC Rural that while he could not “definitively rule out botulism”, there was evidence the likely cause was coccidiosis. “ Unfortunately we weren’t able to come to a strong conclusion around this, but the evidence we’ve found strongly supports a coccidiosis diagnosis,” he said. “ It’s definitely not a contagious or infectious disease, but is one of those things that cattle live with and normally it’s all good.” The NT government investigated the cattle deaths at the export depot, while the Federal Department of Agriculture (DAFF) investigated the deaths on board the Brahman Express vessel. 

In a statement to ABC Rural a DAFF spokesperson said:

“ coccidiosis has been identified as a potential cause of the deaths, however a definitive diagnosis has not yet been reached”.

What is coccidiosis?

According to Meat and Livestock Australia’s website, coccidia are protozoal parasites living in the small and large intestinal walls of animals with the potential to cause disease under certain conditions. “ Coccidiosis is most common in young animals that have not yet become immune, but can also occur in older animals in conditions of over-crowding, or during periods of stress,” it said.

Clinical signs that would lead a producer to suspect coccidiosis include:

  • foul-smelling, profuse scouring with or without blood in the faeces
  • straining
  • pale gums and membranes around the eyes (anaemia).
a road train with cattle next to a live export ship.
Last month about 100 cattle died while on board the Brahman Express bound from Darwin to Indonesia. (Facebook: NT Livestock Exporter’s Association)

Dr Williams said coccidiosis sat in the gut of most cattle and was also common in the environment and “usually doesn’t cause any disease, particularly in adult cattle”.

He said the export depot near Darwin — which remained temporarily suspended from exporting cattle to Indonesia while investigations take place — had “followed their normal procedures and did the right thing”. “ I think this was just an unfortunate event of cattle coming from a reasonably dry area to a wet area and the environmental conditions have contributed to this unusual [case],” Dr Williams said.

I don’t think this was a management issue, this was more just unlucky… and probably a series of unfortunate events.

“Could more have been done to prevent this? Probably not.” The NT’s Department of Industry has now concluded its investigation into what caused the cattle deaths at the export depot near Darwin and Dr Williams said there had been no more deaths of this nature reported since last months’ incident.

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Australian AFP Police Officers Arrest & Charge International Drug Couriers Over Cocaine Being Smuggled Aboard Flight From USA To Melbourne

AceBreakingNews – The AFP has arrested four alleged international drug couriers, including the suspected ringleader of the transnational drug mule syndicate, accused of attempting to smuggle cocaine into Australia on board a flight from the United States to Melbourne.

Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published:Apr.21: 2024: This is a joint media release between the Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force and Homeland Security Investigations: Editor’s note: Images of seizure and arrest vision are available via Hightail TELEGRAM Ace Daily News Link https://t.me/YouMeUs2 

AFP officers arrested and charged a United States national, 55, at Melbourne Airport on Tuesday 16 April, 2024, who is accused of planning and supervising the transnational drug courier syndicate as they attempted to import cocaine concealed inside their luggage on board an international flight to Australia. Police will allege the man oversaw three United States nationals travelling on board a flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne on Friday 12 April, 2024, to carry around 30kg of cocaine inside their luggage.

The three women, aged 22, 24 and 35, were passengers on the flight and each allegedly concealed approximately 10kg of cocaine inside their luggage.

Australian Border Force (ABF) intercepted the alleged drug couriers following intelligence received from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after a fourth woman, 41, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday 11 April, 2024.

It is alleged that the woman had attempted to board the same flight carrying 10kg of cocaine concealed inside clothing in their luggage.

The AFP subsequently arrested the three women upon their arrival into Melbourne International Airport. ABF officers examined six suitcases and found a number of packages containing a white powder substance in each suitcase. The substance was presumptively tested and indicated a positive result for cocaine. The 55-year-old US national arrived on board a separate flight into Melbourne from Los Angeles on Friday 12 April, 2024, before he was later located and arrested by police at Melbourne Airport yesterday.

The three females were each charged with:

  • One count of importing a commercial quantity of border controlled drug, namely cocaine, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth); and
  • One count of possessing a commercial quantity of cocaine, contrary to section 307.8 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).

The male was charged with:

  • One count of importing a commercial quantity of border controlled drug, namely cocaine, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth); and
  • One count of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of cocaine, contrary to section 307.8 and 11.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995(Cth).

The maximum penalty for these offences is life imprisonment. The man faced the Melbourne Magistrate Court on Wednesday 17 April, 2024, and the women on Saturday 13 April, 2024, where they were all remanded in custody. They are all scheduled to reappear in court on 5 August, 2024.

AFP Detective Superintendent Simone Butcher said: ‘

Drug couriers were driven by money and greed and would go to any lengths to import illicit substances into Australia. “ A dangerous amount of cocaine was stopped as a result of intelligence sharing between Australian and international law enforcement agencies,” Det-Supt Butcher said.

This attempted importation of about 30 kg of cocaine had an estimated street value of nearly $10 million if it had reached our streets. This had the potential to facilitate 30,000 individual street deals and cause tens of millions of dollars in harm to the Australian community.

 “These arrests send a strong warning to drug couriers attempting to smuggle illicit drugs into Australia – no matter how you try and move your drugs, the AFP, together with our international, Commonwealth and state law enforcement partners will be waiting for you.”

HSI Attache Ernest Verina said:

Each arrest and each seizure saves lives and decreases the additional crime that surrounds these illegal and dangerous criminal smuggling operations.

“The international effort that led to this interdiction of large quantities of cocaine is a great example of successful collaboration between multiple international law enforcement agencies determined to prevent illegal drugs from entering our communities,” Ernest Verina said.

ABF Acting Superintendent, Aviation Operations, Costas Karatzas said:

Those attempting to import illicit substances into Australia should not underestimate the intuition, experience and commitment of ABF officers to disrupt this type of criminal activity. “ The ABF works closely with its domestic and international law enforcement partners to prevent illicit drugs reaching Australian streets” Acting Superintendent Karatzas said. “ The Australian border is one of our most critical national assets, and our dedicated ABF officers are relentless in their commitment to making it a hostile environment for criminal syndicates trying to import dangerous drugs and harming the Australian community.”

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Lack of research on Australia’s native bees could be detrimental to their survival, experts say

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– It’s what scientists don’t know about native Australian bees that have them deeply concerned.

Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published:Apr.20: 2024: ABC Ballarat News: TELEGRAM Ace Daily News Link https://t.me/YouMeUs2 

A large bee with black and blue stripes.
A blue banded bee from the Amegilla genus.(Supplied: Peter Rowland)normal

While there is no shortage of eyes on European honey bees — and the impacts varroa mites, pesticides, climate change, and other threats have on their populations — there is a paucity of research on native bees.

A european honey bee (left) and a native stingless bee (right) on white a citrus flower
A European honey bee and an Australian native stingless bee on a citrus flower.(Supplied: Tobias Smith, University of Queensland)

That worries Australian scientists, including Kit Prendergast and Anna Carrucan, who say native bee species may be driven to extinction while no one is looking.

"The knowledge gap with native bees is a danger — there is so much we don't know," said Dr Prendergast, from the University of Southern Queensland. With honey bees, we're talking about one species. We know how to keep them, we know … how to improve their nutrition, their diseases and how they nest. “ There are thousands of native bee species,  and in some cases, we don't know their distribution, we don't know what they forage on, where they nest or their population changes."

Dr. Prendergast said that “some have gone extinct and we don’t know.”

"There are lots of records of dozens of species collected 50 or 100 years ago, and there are no further records of them," he said.

Climate change is a concern

There are more than 1,600 described bee species in Australia, and potentially several hundred varieties that are known but are yet to be scientifically described.
Dr Carrucan, a Victorian botanist and beekeeper, said while there was an absence of research on Australian native bees, it was not unreasonable to suggest some threats to honey bees may also be a problem for native species.

“ Climate change is one [example],” Dr Carrucan said.

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“Increasingly hotter and drier weather systems will affect how well trees flower and therefore how much pollen and nectar they provide for insect foragers or even if certain plant varieties and landscapes persist.

“ It would be a similar scenario with losses due to pesticides on crops, as would it be with changes to the environment, such clearing the landscape for expanding urban sprawl.”

The green carpenter bee (Xylocopa aerata) on Kangaroo Island was almost entirely wiped out by the bushfires in 2019-20. There had formerly been a population in the Grampians in Victoria, but that population is now gone. “ There are still some in the hinterland around Sydney but the last known ones in Victoria were in the Grampians and now they are gone. That’s a tragedy, really,” Dr Carrucan said.

A large metallic green bee on white flowers.
The green carpenter bee (Xylocopa aerata) has already disappeared from Victoria.(Supplied: Marc Newman)

While few native bees produce honey — and practically none in commercial quantities — their value to Australian agriculture is considerable.

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"They are a hidden, unpaid workforce that contribute as much as honey bees do to pollinate our food crops. It's more than $14 billion per year of free work in measurable value for food and fibre," Dr Carrucan said.
native bees gather around brown fibrous honey pots in a hive
Stingless honey bees (Tetragonula) produce comparatively small quantities of honey.(Supplied: Tobias Smith/University of Queensland)

Identity crisis

While the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) with its familiar furry body and gold and black-striped pattern is easily identified as a bee, native bees come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours.

Some can easily be mistaken for flies, while others resemble wasps, while some are missing the trademark stinger.

"Bees have two pairs of wings whereas flies only have one pair," Dr Carrucan explained.
"Wasps and bees are closely related.
"It's believed bees evolved from wasps and are the vegetarian cousins to the omnivorous wasps."
Even the common names given to some native bees are confused rather than help identification, which was why scientists preferred to use scientific names.
Woman with a bug catching net.
Kit Prendergast is the author of A Crash-course to Australian Bee Taxonomy and Identifications.(Supplied: Kate Leaver)

“ Communicating accurately about biodiversity is fundamental if we’re going to conserve species, and if we’re going to raise awareness,” Dr Prendergast said.

"A common name doesn't map onto taxonomy. It can refer to one species. It can refer to a genus, it can refer to a family, and you have no idea which."

Dr Prendergast said common bee names could be misleading. 

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“A really common bee name is a blue banded bee, [but] there are many bees with blue bands,” she said. “ Quite a few of them are Amegilla, which is a genus, but there are also bees with blue bands from the Nomina group, which is from an entirely different family. “ Even within the Amegilla blue-banded bee genus, some have blue bands, some have white bands, some have green bands, and some have no bands.”

Common names can also vary by country or location.

A species may be called different things in two different countries, states, or locations, and it will often be called different things in different languages.

“ The beautiful thing about scientific names is that they’re all in Latin and are the same no matter where you are in the world,” Dr Prendergast said.

So, how do Australia’s native bees differ from introduced species?

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Native bees

Stingless honey bees

Stingless
Australian stingless bees on a native flower.(Supplied: Western Sydney University Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment)

There are three main genera of Australian stingless honey bees — Melipona, Tetragonula and Austroplebeia —  which produce very small quantities of honey.

Meliponini, sometimes called sugarbag bees or bush bees, are about a third the size of European honey bees.

A fourth genera of stingless honey bees — Scaptotrigona — is primarily found in Brazil

Euryglossinae bees 

Two small bees that look like flying ants.
Male and female Euryglossina bees (Euryglossina fuscescens), which are endemic to Australia.(Supplied: Marc Newman)

The Euryglossinae genus (family Colletidae) includes some of the smallest bees, some of which look not unlike flies or wasps.

These bees are endemic to Australia and are very specialised in native flora — a suburban garden with exotic flowers would be like a desert wasteland to them.

Resin bees and leaf cutter bees

A grey and black banded bee in flight approaches a white flower.
An Australian leafcutter bee from the Megachile genus.(Supplied: Peter Rowland)

The Megachile genus of solitary bees includes native Australian species that use plant resin to construct their nests.

Australian leaf cutter bees typically belong to a Megachile sub-genus called Eutricharaea. The females have cutting mandibles for carving discs out of leaves to line their nests with.

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Carpenter bees

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A metallic green bee on a flower.
A female green carpenter bee (Xylocopa aerata).(Supplied: Marc Newman)

Carpenter bees are generally quite large, and belong the genus Xylocopa. 

The insects are called carpenter bees because they make their nests by chewing wood.

Cuckoo bees 

A blue and black stripped cuckoo bee on a yellow flower
A neon cuckoo bee (Thyreus nitidulus).(Supplied: Simon Mulvany)

This is a diverse group of bees from unrelated genera, which have independently evolved to parasitise other bees by laying their eggs in the nests of other bees.

Once hatched, their larva often consumes the host species’ larvae.

Blue banded bees 

A large bee with black and white bands on a blade of grass.
A blue banded bee of the genus Amegilla. Despite the name, not all blue banded bees have blue bands.(Supplied: Peter Rowland)

This term usually refers to bees from the Amegilla genus, but not all of them have blue bands.

There are so-called blue banded bees where the bands are cream, white, pale blue and vivid blue.

Teddy bear bees 

A large, furry bee.
Teddy bear bees, including the Amegilla (Asaropoda) bombiformis, can be up to 20 millimetres in length.(Supplied: Louise Docker)

This is another group within the Amegilla genus , which is typically brownish in colour and similar in size to a honey bee but furrier and stockier.

These insects are highly social compared with other bees and are farmed for their ability to produce high quantities of honey.

Exotic bees

Bumblebees 

Bumblebees (Bombus) are not native to Australia but have been introduced into Tasmania.

A bumblebee on a flower
(Flickr: Bumblebee, Mikael F, CC-BY-NC-ND-2.0) Just one species is found in Australia, Bombus terrestris, which was introduced into Tasmania.

European honey bees are a diverse group of large, hairy bees.

A honey bee on a blue flower.
The familiar European honey bee.(Supplied: Peter Rowland)

When people think of bees, Apis mellifera is what most people imagine.

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ACE-DAILY-NEWS

AceBreakingNews – Stargazers were treated to a light show as the Aurora Australis revealed itself across South Australia and Tasmania skies in the early hours of Saturday. Adelaide photographer Simon Deluca-Cardillo spent almost four hours in the cold overnight near Kuitpo Forest in the southern Adelaide Hills. His patience paid off when the clouds cleared.

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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published:Apr.20: 2024: ABC Environment News: TELEGRAM Ace Daily News Link https://t.me/YouMeUs2 

Red, orange and pink light shimmering against the night sky.
Aurora Australis shimmers above southern Adelaide.(Supplied: Simon Deluca-Cardillo)

“ I had to wait for the moon to set at 3AM,” Mr Deluca-Cardillo said.

“It started off slowly once the moon disappeared below the horizon at 3am — then about 4:30am it went off with a bang.” Mr Deluca-Cardillo said the lights went “berserk”, and could be seen with the naked eye.

Red, orange and pink light shimmering against the night sky with a shooting star.
Simon Deluca-Cardillo captured a shooting star in one of his photos.(Supplied: Simon Deluca-Cardillo)

His long exposure shot, which captured more colours than his timelapse video, has been shared widely on social media.

A Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) spokesperson said it issued an aurora alert notice “due to the solar wind conditions looking favourable for auroras” in the early hours of Saturday. “ The event has mostly subsided by now, but it is likely that there may have been some visible aurora sightings in SA, NSW, Vic and Tas,” they said. “ In Australia, auroras are most commonly observed in Tasmania and southern Victoria. During larger events, there have been aurora sightings further north into New South Wales or South Australia.”

Violet and red lights shimmering in the night sky above a windmill
Tasmania tends to get the most aurora events in Australia.(Supplied: Jules Witek)

In Tasmania, sightings of the southern lights were reported across the state, with many posting their photos online.

Jules Witek shared his stunning images of “one of the brightest auroras I’ve seen in a good while” taken at Saltwater River in south-west Tasmania around 5am local time. “ Magnificent colours and beams easily seen with the naked eye and I was frothing with excitement,” Mr Witek said.

Violet and red lights shines in aurora australis above a house
The southern lights were also captured at Sassafras in northwest Tasmania.(Supplied: Jack Coburn)

Auroras are triggered by solar flares that emit charged particles, which then interact with Earth’s magnetic field and collide with atoms in the atmosphere, the BOM explained.

The phenomenon is set to become stronger and more frequent ahead of the solar maximum in July 2025. Generally, the more sunspot activity there is, the higher the chances of an aurora occurring.

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