Lithuania has become a leading gateway for smuggling to EU

Steinar Westby (35) had to learn it the hard way. He is now free again after almost 8 years in jail.

Text: Aage Myhre

Norwegian Steinar Westby (35) is back in Lithuania after nearly eight years in prison in Norway. It was here in Vilnius that he was arrested in 2003 for large-scale smuggling of the drug Rophynol from Russia through Lithuania to Scandinavia, and for the scrapping of stolen cars planned for 'export' from Norway to Lithuania.

"No matter how much money you earn on criminal activity, it is not worth it!" Steinar has had enough of the madness and is now just happy that he got through his criminal career with his life and health intact, as he directs a clear warning to other young people who may think this kind of easy money may provide a basis for a good life.

"Rohypnol is no longer in production," he says over a beer in a Vilnius pub this Saturday afternoon. "Now it’s mostly amphetamines, alcohol and cigarettes that is smuggled through Lithuania to Western Europe. Smuggling of these items, however, takes place on a very large scale, and Lithuania has in recent years become a leading gateway for smuggling to the EU. It is still quite possible to bribe customs officials and border guards here, and the border control is also far too random and not very extensive," he tells me.

"Another typical activity for criminals in today's Lithuania," he says, "is to steal cars in Germany and bring them here for resale to the countries further east. That there no longer are border controls within the EU, has made this type of activity far simpler."

Steinar insists that he, for his own part, is finished for good with criminal activity. "Now I'll try to rebuild my life and do my best to warn other young people about falling into the crime trap," he says.

It was a stripper at an Oslo nightclub who in 1996 initially aroused Steinar's interest in Lithuania. He travelled here to visit her and found out soon that he could engage in trade business with his great passion - antiques. The trade went well, and Steinar had four good years actively engaged in finding antique objects that he exported to Norway.

"I was 21 years old and naturally hung out in bars and nightclubs to have fun like most young people," he tells me. "I learned Lithuanian, which I this day speak fluently, and I felt that I was well into the environments of young, dynamic people. Then it started. People invited me to join their ‘business’, giving me the opportunity to participate in activities that would give me easy money. My job would be to find buyers for the drug Rohypnol in Norway while the people here would take care of purchasing and transportation from Moscow through Lithuania to Norway. In year 2000 the trucks started rolling.”

When Steinar was taken, in 2003, already almost half a million pills had arrived in Norway through his channels.

"How could it be possible," I ask, "that such large amounts could pass the Norwegian border and nothing was detected? Was not the trailer loads controlled?"

"Well," he replies, "it was seldom that the pills were part of the cargo. They were instead often hidden in the tires, or other places under the trailers, so that our cars could easily get 'the goods' on scheduled stops at certain parking places in different parts of Norway."

"And then you were taken, after three years in the criminal business. What happened?"

"One of our dealers in Norway started playing millionaire. The police discovered and began wiretapping and doing other forms of investigations. They found out about it all, and in 2003 I was arrested here in Vilnius."

"How was the arrest exercised?"

"Rather brutal. I was thrown into a cell where I was constantly subjected to harsh interrogation, beaten repeatedly with fists and sticks, with no opportunity to speak directly with the defence lawyer who was appointed by public authorities."

"You spent two months in prison in Vilnius before you were transferred to Norway. How would you describe the two months?"

"Hell on Earth, I lived in a 6-man cell where the 'toilet' was an open, stinking hole in the middle of the floor. We had the opportunity to shower only once a week, and we were constantly subjected to brutal interrogations."

"Then you had your mental collapse?"

"That's right. I had been put in solitary confinement and after about three weeks, it was simply too much for me and I tried to set fire to the cell. It was only just that I survived. Fortunately, it was not long after that Norwegian police came and picked me."

"How would you describe the difference between Lithuanian and Norwegian prisons?"

"Norwegian prisons are like hotels compared to what we have here in this country. As you know there are many Lithuanians who are imprisoned in Norway, and they just laugh at Norwegian prisons and systems."

"Were any of your Norwegian accomplices arrested?"

"Only one. And the real guys, those behind this type of activity at that time as today, both here in Lithuania and in Norway, were of course never taken. They are known as successful business men that none of us foot soldiers ever got to meet or know the identity of. "

"Does it feel good to be a free man, back in Lithuania?"

"It feels infinite good. I've never felt happier in my entire life!"

What is Rohypnol?

A book by Andrew Hutchinson

9781741668223, Random House Vintage, 2007

Rohypnol is about bad people. They follow the rules of the ‘new punk’, meaning that they can take what they want, when they want it. They are young, male, rich, and live by the motto - ‘f**k people’. The group’s main activity is spiking the drinks of women and raping them.

Who would want to read about this? The book is horrific, sickening and difficult. It is also skillful, probing and fresh. Andrew Hutchinson gives his characters no motivational aspects – no sob-story childhoods, no incidents that made them what they are. The narrator just repeats that he is a bad person and knows it. It is challenging and stimulating for the reader to fill in the gaps. It allows a deep engagement with the voice and the narrative. Like Lolita, it both sickens and compels you.

POSTED BY LITERARYMINDED AT 18.11.07

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/rohypnol.shtml

Rohypnol is the brand name of flunitrazepam, and is a part of the benzodiazepine class of drugs, of which ‘Valium’ or diazepam is perhaps the best known. It is 10 times more potent than diazepam. The drug is not legally available in the US, but is in some countries of Europe and Mexico. In the UK it is only available on private prescription, and it is illegal to possess it without one, being a class C drug.

It rose to prominence as the date rape drug because it was colourless, odourless and tasteless - ideal for spiking drinks undetected - and causes sedation or euphoria in approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Several cases report the drug being given to women without their consent in order to remove their inhibitions.

However, Hoffman-Roche, the company that manufactures the drug, revised the formula in January 1998 to make it easier to detect. It now contains a blue dye that will appear when it is added to any drink, and it is slower to dissolve. Counterfeit versions of the drug have been reported in the US which do not have these added features.

Why is it used?

The drug has a number of legal and illegal uses. It is used in the short-term treatment of sleep disorders, but has been abused for more sinister purposes. It has been implicated in several date rape cases in the US, although there is no confirmed case of it being used in sexual assault cases in the UK.

Ravers use the drug because of the its euphoric and relaxing effects. The effects last for about eight hours but it can take over 24 hours for its ‘hangover’ effect to disappear. Street names for Rohypnol include rophies, ropies, ruffies, roofies, roche, R-2, mexican valium, rib, and rope. Users report mixing it with beer to enhance the feeling of drunkenness, and it has been reported to be used in combination with marijuana and cocaine, as well as heroin.

It is also used to ease the come down from a cocaine or crack binge, according to RaveSafe, a drugs information service. However, it is the drug's use in date rape cases that has led to its notoriety.

What are the risks?

When combined with alcohol, Rohypnol can make users shed their inhibitions. They can also suffer from loss of memory. It has been labelled the date rapist's drug of choice. Amnesia can set in within a short time of ingesting the drug, and the disinhibiting effects kick in soon after. Someone who has taken the drug unwittingly is unlikely to remember what happened while they were under the influence. The journal report continues: "Due to the amnesic effects of flunitrazepam, historical clues of the rape event are difficult to obtain.

"Patients with a complaint of sexual assault who appear intoxicated or have anterograde amnesia should be suspected of unknowingly ingesting flunitrazepam."

It also recommends doctors perform a urine test specifically for the drug, but this needs to be done within 72 hours of the assault to successfully detect traces of flunitrazepam.

Another drug, gamma-hydroxybutryate (GHB) is also reported to have been used to incapacitate victims in order to sexually abuse them. The effects of GHB are similar to those of Rohypnol - dizziness, confusion and memory loss. It is colourless and odourless. It is most commonly found in liquid form and is also known as liquid X or g-juice. It was once sold in health food stores to bodybuilders, but was pulled off the market in 1990 because of its bad side effects.

However, a US study in 1997, and continued evidence from UK statistics, shows that alcohol remains the substance most frequently associated with substance-assisted sexual assault.

What are the recommendations?

A report in the Academic Emergency Medicine journal says that counterfeit products are hard to detect. It says: "Flunitrazepam readily dissolves, and once in solution, is colourless, odourless, and tasteless. "The predominant clinical manifestations are drowsiness, impaired motor skills, and anterograde amnesia."

There is an agent that reverses the effects of Rohypnol. It is a benzodiazepine antagonist called ‘Romazicon’ or flumazenil, and is used for reversing the severe effects of overdose. However, it needs to be administered by a doctor as it is an injection.

The best advice to avoid being spiked is to trust no one. Counsellors say anyone who feels at risk should never accept any opened drink, particularly not from a stranger. Tamper-proof bottles or cans are recommended. They should not be opened by someone else.

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Category : Lithuania today

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ERP_Tom

Who knew Lithuania may be a smuggling area for drugs into the European Union? Most people know Eastern Europe is a hotbed for drug smuggling but not every country is always known. That is tragic for the Lithuanian people.

May 16 2016

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