 Cocaine in Middlesbrough is cheaper than the national average |
Middlesbrough is the cheapest place in the UK to buy cocaine according to the latest survey on street drug prices. This found the average national price of a gram is �42, but in some areas of Middlesbrough it is as low as �25.
However, drugs workers said the cocaine sold in the town was heavily diluted with bicarbonate of soda.
The survey, across 15 towns and cities, was carried out among 40 frontline drug services in July by Druglink magazine and published by DrugScope.
'Drugs hub'
It also found that the majority of heroin sold in Newcastle was bought first in Middlesbrough.
The drug was then diluted with cheaper chemicals, or simply reduced, with most �10 bags in the town contained 0.2g compared to 0.1g in Newcastle.
Harry Shapiro, editor of Druglink, said: "Middlesbrough has emerged as something of a drugs hub for the north-east, a base from which to move drugs on to other cities such as Newcastle.
"In addition to this, we are also seeing some of the cheapest cocaine in the UK being sold in Middlesbrough, although local drugs workers say this is chiefly made up of bicarbonate of soda."
One-Minute World News 
News services
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
