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Pyrodrew
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4685693.stm
quote:
Cocaine traces at EU parliament
The results suggested cocaine was in regular use in the areas tested Cocaine traces have been found at the European Parliament in an inquiry by one of Germany's main broadcasters.
The Sat-1 channel sent reporters to take 46 swabs from toilets and other public areas of the Brussels buildings. Nearly all tested positive for cocaine.
A European Parliament spokeswoman said cocaine abuse was not a problem among staff working at the buildings.
A professor who analysed the samples said the amounts found were too great to have been carried in on clothing.
"It simply reflects the fact that cocaine was brought in there," Professor Fritz Sorgel of the Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research in Nuremberg (IBMP) told the BBC News website.
"The amount was too high and found in too many spots. It shows it was brought in deliberately."
However, he said the results were not so surprising given the widespread use of cocaine in society at large.
As the buildings are cleaned regularly, it appeared that cocaine had been used recently in the places where the traces were found, Mr Sorgel said.
A total of 41 of the reporters' swabs tested positive for cocaine.
'Surprise' results
European Parliament spokeswoman Marjory van den Broeke said the findings came as a complete surprise, insisting that cocaine use was not a problem among staff working at the building.
"It seems the findings are in line with findings in other public buildings," Ms Van den Broeke told the BBC News website.
"It is not a problem we are aware of at all."
But given the way the tests were carried out - with reporters coming in and taking swabs in toilets to be tested at a later stage - it was difficult to say how conclusive the tests could be, she said.
The parliament may look into whether the testing was legal as it was performed without its consent or knowledge.
The broadcaster conducted the same experiment in the German parliament with similar results five years ago.
Prof Sorgel made it clear cocaine was not found in all public places - not in German high schools for example.
"Many sites have no cocaine. It's not everywhere," he said.
The producer of the AKTE 05 TV show, Ulrich Meyer, said consumption of cocaine was a problem which pervaded all of society - "bigger than many politicians are willing to believe".
"We do not wish to point our fingers at any individuals or professional groups," he said, pointing out that the European Parliament building was open to the public. |
Well that explains a lot. 
http://news1.iwon.com/odd/article/id/335969|oddlyenough|06-25-2003::08:25|reuters.html
quote:
Most Euros in Germany Carry Cocaine Traces?
Jun 25, 8:11 am ET
BERLIN (Reuters) - Almost all euro banknotes circulating in Germany contain traces of cocaine, scientists said on Wednesday, as notes rolled up by users to snort the illegal drug contaminate the cash system.
"Nine out of 10 banknotes show clearly measurable amounts of cocaine," Fritz Soergel from the Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research in Nuremberg told Reuters on Wednesday. Some 600 euro notes were examined in the study.
The study could not provide conclusive evidence on levels of cocaine usage in Germany and the euro zone but Soergel said there was a clear correlation between the findings and levels of recorded cocaine abuse in European countries.
"Studies have shown that the amount of cocaine found on banknotes in countries where there is less cocaine usage, such as France, Finland and Greece, is much lower than in countries where it is more widespread," he said.
Results from a separate study the institute carried out on euro notes in Barcelona were particularly startling, he said.
"We were almost knocked flat by what we discovered there. The concentrations of cocaine on Spanish euro notes were almost a hundred times that of what we recorded in Germany," he said.
An investigation in London in 1999 showed more than 99 percent of banknotes in circulation were tainted with the drug.
Tests by the European Union on national currencies of countries now using the euro prior to its introduction in 2002, showed the deutschemark had the third highest level of cocaine contamination behind the Spanish peseta and the Irish pound.
The prevalence of cocaine traces on paper money is often attributed to cash counting machines in banks, which mix contaminated notes with uncorrupted ones.
Soergel said the concentrations found suggested other reasons than cross-contamination which demanded further research. "The problem goes much deeper," he said.
Neither the German government nor European Central Bank, who print the notes, would comment on the findings, which made the front page of several leading newspapers on Wednesday. |
The smell of money
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16-07-2005 08:03
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