URL – Pretoria – Police have strongly denied allegations that LSD tattoos are being sold to school pupils.
This comes after parents in Pretoria received letters warning them about the so-called blue star tattoos that apparently contain LSD. The letter was sent out on a metro police letterhead.
Lune van Heerden, spokesperson for the Tshwane metro police, said they did not send the letter. The origin of the letter is unknown.
Mark Newham of the metro police’s unit for social crime prevention said the letter could cause unnecessary panic.
The letter states that the blue star tattoo is about the size of a pencil eraser. It is apparently soaked in LSD and the drug can be absorbed through the skin. The red pyramid stickers allegedly also contain LSD.
The letter also warns that LSD stickers with pictures of Superman, Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters sometimes contain strychnine.
Does not exist
Senior Superintendent Etienne van Zyl, in charge of drug analysis at the police’s forensic laboratory in Pretoria, said an LSD tattoo does not exist. LSD has also not been mixed with strychnine before.
Van Zyl said police were not aware of any incidents involving the so-called blue star or red pyramid. “If it is not in the database, it means police have never confiscated such an item.”
Superintendent Dup du Plessis, head of the South African Narcotics Bureau, said he has never heard of blue star or red pyramid. “LSD has many street names and it is possible that these are new names.”
He said drugs are sometimes mixed with other substances to increase the volume. “Drug dealers often mix drugs with anything from icing sugar to Vim.”
