Justice
The East Flanders public prosecutor’s office warns against monkey dust after a 28-year-old woman had to be admitted to intensive care under the influence of the designer drug. During several house searches, eight people were arrested and all kinds of drugs were found. In addition, a two-year-old child tested positive for various types of hard drugs.
The facts date from the beginning of this month. Officers found a 28-year-old woman in Oudenaarde who showed very strange behavior and had severe spasms. The woman was taken to hospital, where it turned out that she was under the influence of the designer drug ‘monkey dust’. This is a cheap drug that can, however, induce severe spasms and hallucinations. “The woman spent several days in intensive care, she was in serious condition,” the public prosecutor’s office said in a press release on Monday afternoon.
A series of searches were then carried out in the vicinity of Oudenaarde, during which various types of drugs were found, including monkey dust. Four suspects, a 26-year-old woman and three men aged 25, 28 and 42, were arrested for drug offenses.
Minor
A day later, a 26-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman were arrested and brought before the investigating judge for possession of narcotics in the presence of a minor. A two-year-old child tested positive for various types of hard drugs. It has not been stated exactly which drugs are involved. The two people in their twenties were arrested by the investigating judge in Oudenaarde.
Afterwards, various drugs were found again during a search in Ronse, including ten grams of monkey dust. Two suspects were arrested in that case. All suspects now appeared before the council chamber, where their arrest was upheld.
“Very addictive”
Monkey dust is a designer drug derived from the amphetamine-like chemical substance cathinone. This is prohibited under the Belgian Drugs Act. The public prosecutor emphasizes how harmful the highly addictive drug is. “After ingestion, one can become very aggressive, experience hallucinations and/or spasms. Even with limited use, this drug can cause significant short-term damage to mental and physical health,” it said.
