her based on merit. The first mission briefing is tomorrow. There’s tons of background studying to do.’
‘Oh, great,’ James said. ‘When am I gonna get time to do that?’
‘Didn’t I mention?’ Kyle said innocently. ‘It’s been arranged with Meryl. You still have to do morning laps, but we’ve cut out some of your lessons and Mac has agreed to knock the mowing on the head.’
‘Cool,’ James grinned. ‘Another two weeks of that workload was gonna send me under. What lessons have I been dropped from?’
‘Art, Russian, religion and history,’ Kyle said.
‘Superb,’ James said, deliriously drumming his hands on his desktop. Then the penny dropped. ‘Did you say history?’
‘Uh-huh,’ Kyle nodded.
‘I just paid you five quid for a history essay.’
‘A good price for a good essay.’
James leapt furiously out of his chair. ‘I don’t care if it’s written on gold parchment by that bloke who does the history shows on Channel Four,’ he spluttered. ‘I don’t need the essay if I don’t have to go back to history class.’
‘It goes to prove the old saying,’ Kyle giggled.
‘What saying?’
‘Cheats never prosper.’
‘I tell you who’ll never prosper,’ James stormed, grabbing one of the pens off his carpet. ‘You. And you know why? Because you’re gonna have an extremely hard time prospering after I’ve rammed this biro up your nose. Give us my fiver back.’
‘What fiver?’ Kyle asked. ‘I don’t recall any fiver. Did you get a receipt?’
James gave Kyle a shove.
‘You’re a bandit, Kyle. Normal people don’t go around conning their mates.’
Kyle backed up, with a giant grin and his hands out in front of himself.
‘I tell you what,’ he said, ‘I’m seriously short of cash. So, even though it goes against my sacred ethical code, I’ll do you a deal.’
‘What deal?’
‘If you let me keep the fiver, I’ll get Nicole on to the mission.’
‘That’s worth five quid,’ James smiled. ‘What’s this mission about anyway?’
‘Drugs,’ Kyle said.
6. BRIEF
**CLASSIFIED**
MISSION BRIEFING:
FOR JAMES ADAMS, KYLE BLUEMAN,
KERRY CHANG AND NICOLE EDDISON
DO NOT REMOVE FROM ROOM 812
DO NOT COPY OR MAKE NOTES
CHILDREN IN THE DRUG BUSINESS
Children are used by drug dealers throughout the world, to sell, smuggle and deliver illegal drugs. There are a number of reasons why children are used:
(1) Kids selling or using drugs are usually viewed as victims rather than criminals. In most countries, children are punished lightly for drug offences, whereas an adult caught with a large quantity of a drug like heroin or cocaine faces five to ten years in prison.
(2) Children have access to schools and young people. Drug dealers encourage children to give free samples of drugs to their friends. Someone who starts dealing drugs at twelve or thirteen can have hundreds of customers by the time they reach adulthood.
(3) Children have few sources of income and plenty of spare time. Many will do a drug dealer a favour, such as making a delivery for just a few pounds, or even for nothing because they think it makes them look cool.
WHAT IS COCAINE?
Cocaine is an illegal drug extracted from the leaves of the coca plant (not to be confused with the cocoa plant, which is used to make chocolate). Coca grows at high altitude in the mountainous regions of South America. The leaves are refined into a crystalline white powder. Before reaching users, the powder is diluted with cheaper substances, such as lactose or borax, or it is mixed with other drugs such as methamphetamine (commonly called speed).
The powder is snorted up the nose. It can also be injected, or mixed with other chemicals to form a smokable version of the drug called crack. Users of cocaine feel a sense of confidence and well being that lasts fifteen to thirty minutes. Cocaine also causes numbness and was once used as an anaesthetic by surgeons and dentists. More effective anaesthetics are now available.
While cocaine doesn’t create a physical craving of the kind you get with heroin or cigarettes, many users enjoy the drug’s effects so much that they use it to excess and do enormous damage to their bodies. Whereas a heroin or cigarette addict needs a regular fix, cocaine users often go days without using before going on a binge. Serious side effects of cocaine include heart attacks, liver failure, brain seizures, strokes and damage to the lining of the nose and mouth.
COCAINE IN BRITAIN
Cocaine was once the champagne of the drug world: a luxury only the rich could afford. A moderate user might get through a gram of powdered cocaine in an evening. In 1984, a gram of cocaine cost