Latest news with #HighAlert
Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
Police Arrest Three, Seize Synthetic Cannabis And Firearms In Canterbury
Three people have been arrested, and synthetic cannabis, cash, and ammunition seized, following five search warrants in Christchurch this morning. Detective Sergeant Brad Grainger, from Canterbury's Organised Crime Team, says there has been an increase in the manufacture and supply of synthetic cannabis across the district over the last month. In today's warrants, Police located: one firearm significant cash imitation firearms 50 rounds of ammunition 7.7 kg of packaged synthetic cannabis – estimated at around $200,000 in street value possessions seized as suspected assets from criminal offending. Synthetic cannabis has been the most lethal form of illicit substances in New Zealand in recent years, having been implicated in at least 70 deaths. In talking with local retail staff, and with people sleeping rough, Detective Sergeant Grainger says the Christchurch Community Beat Team was hearing about issues related to synthetic cannabis use. 'Although this is not a top-of-the-line 'sexy' drug, the significant increase in the supply of synthetic cannabis lately has affected retail offending and disorderly behaviour,' Detective Seargeant Grainger says. 'It appears to have added to crime and disorder reported by local business leaders in the Christchurch area,' he says. 'We're pleased to have these people before the court, but we won't stop there, we continue to investigate so our communities can be safe and feel safe.' A 51-year-old man was arrested on charges of supplying a non-approved psychoactive substance, and unlawful possession of a firearm, and was due to appear in Christchurch District Court today. A 52-year-old man was arrested on charges of supplying a non-approved psychoactive substance, money laundering, and unlawful possession of ammunition and was due to appear in Christchurch District Court today. A 44-year-old man was arrested on charges of possessing a non-approved psychoactive product for supply, and for selling a non-approved psychoactive product, and is due to appear in Christchurch District Court 5 September. Further charges are likely. High Alert, New Zealand's drug early warning system, has issued five notifications [1] related to serious synthetic cannabis harm over the last four years. More information on synthetic cannabis is available here [2]. If people choose to use this substance, drug checking is recommended to lower the risks. Anyone who needs assistance for drug dependency is encouraged to find help or contact the Alcohol Drug support line on 0800 787 797. Please call 111 if you witness any unlawful activity happening now, or 105 if it is after the fact, with as much information as you can safely gather. Information can also be reported anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
Scoop
15-07-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Five Years Of Early Warnings
High Alert, New Zealand's drug early warning system, is celebrating five years of reducing harm from dangerous drugs. Since its public launch on 26 June 2020, High Alert has reached more than three million people with harm reduction advice and early warnings about particular dangerous drugs across the country. It is a world-leading early warning system that seeks to identify acute drug harm, understand and evidence outbreaks and, in some cases, anticipate potential harm. This information is then shared across the High Alert website(link is external), and social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. High Alert is a multi-agency initiative operated by Drug Information and Alerts Aotearoa New Zealand (DIANZ), housed within the National Drug Intelligence Bureau (NDIB). It is supported by a network of health professionals and social services, both government and non-government. These include the New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science Limited (PHF Science) the New Zealand Drug Foundation, KnowYourStuffNZ, New Zealand Needle Exchange Programme, Hato Hone St John New Zealand, and Wellington Free Ambulance. While a core function of High Alert is providing harm reduction information to the public, it also presents opportunities to engage with partners who may not traditionally associate with law enforcement. Before High Alert's launch in 2020, there was minimal coordination or ability to bring these groups together to understand what they were seeing on the frontlines, and no structures in place to link harm occurring in different parts of the country. Now, High Alert monitors this network and undertakes daily scanning across various information sources to identify where drug harm has, or could, occur. 'The ongoing success of the early warning system shows people are actively looking for this type of information and demonstrates the enormous potential of High Alert to prevent harm,' says Aaron Holloway, Manager of the Intelligence Fusion Teams. Members of the public can subscribe confidentially to receive early warning notifications directly to their inboxes, cutting out the reliance on social media algorithms and third-party websites. The High Alert website also allows people to report any unusual or unexpected effects from drugs, providing them with a safe outlet to share their experiences and help keep others safe. Over the past five years, High Alert has received 158 of these reports. It has issued 40 early warning notifications, each prompting thousands of visits to the site and national media coverage. The warning that attracted the most media interest regarded the incident in 2022 where fentanyl was misrepresented as cocaine in Wairarapa. More recently, in June 2025, High Alert issued two notifications after a highly potent synthetic opioid was misrepresented as heroin(link is external), and heroin was misrepresented as benzodiazepine in Auckland(link is external). More than 1.4 million people have visited the website since its launch, with nearly 2 million views of harm reduction information. High Alert has reached a further 3.2 million people via Facebook and Instagram and has generated more than 1.5 million TikTok views since launching on the platform in 2022. High Alert's mailing list has also seen steady growth, with more than 10,000 members of the public subscribed to receive early warning notifications. These emails consistently achieve a high open rate, an average of 60 percent compared to the industry standard of 33 percent. More than 1,500 healthcare professionals are also signed up to receive notifications and harm reduction information. The team looks forward to building on all they've achieved to help reduce drug-related harm across Aotearoa New Zealand in the future. Spread the word
Economic Times
13-07-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
After the storm on July 10, eyes now on July 15 — the next high alert!
Global headwinds, local profit booking Live Events Precision in price: Support & resistance levels held firm Timing the market: Time forecasts that worked Support and resistance levels (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel After a volatile week dominated by global jitters and profit booking, Indian equity markets ended lower, with the Nifty50 slipping 1.2% for the week ended July 11, selloff came amid renewed tariff threats by U.S. President Donald Trump, which spooked global investors and added pressure on risk market, which had previously rallied to higher levels, witnessed a bout of selling as investors opted to lock in gains. Sectorally, the brunt of the fall was borne by IT, auto, and metal stocks, which emerged as the top laggards for the week.A textbook trend reversal: July 10 lived up to the forecastIn our last note, we identified July 10 as a High Alert Day—a potential inflection point where a trend reversal could anticipated, the market exhibited strong momentum on that day, but a subsequent breakdown below July 10's low on Friday triggered a sharp decline. This confirmed July 10 as a textbook trend-shifting session, reinforcing our forecast key levels provided clear guidance throughout the week:Weekly High: 25,548.70 (vs. resistance at 25,586 — only 37 points off)Weekly Low: 25,129 (vs. support at 25,120 — just 9 points difference)Friday Intraday High: 25,322 (vs. projected level at 25,320)Key Magnet Level: 25,434 — acted as crucial support on July 7, 8, and 9These precise levels helped intraday and positional traders navigate the market with greater Time + Price framework once again proved its effectiveness:9:25 am: Day high formed at 9:35 am10:05 am: Swing low emerged11:20 am: Down move began2:15 pm: Swing low seen near 2:30 pm11:45 am: Swing low hit exactly on time9:30 am: Swing low11:20 am: Swing high12:20 pm: Momentum move began, peaked at 2:35 pm9:20 am: Day high1:55 pm: Fresh momentum initiated9:20 am: High formed by 9:40 am11:25 am: Sideways movement began post selling haltJuly 14–18Looking ahead, all eyes now turn to Tuesday, July 15, flagged as the next High Alert Day (±1 trading day). Traders should brace for elevated volatility and potentially strong intraday moves—ideal conditions for short-term and momentum trading 14 (Mon): 10:20 am, 11:30 amJuly 15 (Tue): 9:45 am, 12:45 pm, 1:45 pm, 2:40 pmJuly 16 (Wed): 10:45 am, 11:40 am, 1:20 pmJuly 17 (Thu): 10:15 am, 11:30 am, 12:45 pmJuly 18 (Fri): 12:30 pm, 2:05 pm25,085 / 24,978 / 24,850 / 24,676 / 24,538 / 25,45025,320 / 25,434 / 25,566 / 25,600 / 25,911 / 26,230These levels are expected to act as crucial pivots for price action through the week. Traders are advised to use these zones in conjunction with the mentioned time forecasts for higher probability sharp, stay timedWith another High Alert period approaching, precision trading becomes more important than ever. As the previous week demonstrated, combining time and price offers a significant edge in anticipating market moves. Use these tools to your advantage—trade with discipline, stay nimble, and let the charts do the talking.(The author is Director, Wealthview Analytics Pvt Ltd)SEBI Registration – INH000009676Investments in securities markets are subject to market risks. Please read all related documents carefully before investing. Recommendations and views expressed are those of the author and do not represent the views of The Economic Times.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)
1News
23-05-2025
- Health
- 1News
Warning after heroin misrepresented as benzodiazepine
White powder being sold as an unknown benzodiazepine in the Auckland region has been found to instead contain heroin after a sample was submitted to a drug checking clinic. High Alert issued a warning today, saying people who took the powder believing it to be a benzodiazepine were at risk of experiencing serious harm and death if taken in large doses. It said there was no information available on its prevalence outside of Auckland. "There is a concern that this powder may continue to be sold as a benzodiazepine. "It is important to never assume that what drug you have is what it has been sold as. Misrepresentation can occur anywhere along the supply chain." The substance could be mistaken for a crushed benzodiazepine pill, and if someone took a pill-sized dose of this powder, it could result in an overdose." "People who take multiple benzodiazepine pills at the same time may inadvertently take a dangerous amount of heroin." Benzodiazepines were a class of drugs commonly used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and seizures, with examples including Valium and Xanax. Heroin and benzodiazepines came from different classes of drugs and produced different effects, High Alert said. "While both are central nervous system depressants, heroin is a potent opioid and large doses can result in serious harm and death." Caution was urged to those who chose to use white powders and drug checking was recommended to reduce the risks. "If you or someone you know takes a substance thought to be a benzodiazepine and starts to experience unusual effects, call 111." The person's face is extremely pale and/or feels clammy to the touch Their body goes limp Their fingernails and/or lips have a purple or blue colour They start vomiting or making gurgling noises They cannot be awakened or are unable to speak Their pupils become very small Their breathing and/or heartbeat slows or stops.
NZ Herald
23-05-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Warning issued after heroin disguised as white powder in Auckland, sold as benzodiazepine
High Alert said some of the effects of heroin can include being in a 'dreamlike' state, severe nausea, blue lips, seizures and death. The sample of white powder presumed to be benzodiazepine was tested at a New Zealand Drug Foundation drug checking clinic in Auckland. 'Further testing was carried out by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR), and the preliminary results indicate the presence of heroin,' High Alert said. No benzodiazepine was detected in this powder, and it is unknown if the powder is still circulating. How to recognise the drug High Alert urges Kiwis to exercise caution should they choose to use white powders, and drug checking is recommended to help minimise the risk. 'It is important to never assume that what drug you have is what it has been sold as. 'Misrepresentation can occur anywhere along the supply chain,' High Alert said. Heroin and benzodiazepines come from different classes of drugs and produce different effects. High Alert said both substances are central nervous system depressants, but heroin is a potent opioid and large doses can result in serious harm and death. 'People who take multiple benzodiazepine pills at the same time may inadvertently take a dangerous amount of heroin,' High Alert said. Drug checking services are recommended because they can identify when a substance is not what it has been sold as, the service said. What to do in an emergency High alert said if you or someone you know takes a substance, call 111 and ask for an ambulance immediately if you are concerned. 'Tell them what you think has been taken and that it could be an opioid overdose. Be honest about your drug use. You won't get in trouble, and it could save you or your friend's life.'
