Student fined over BZP importation

by Tristan Broomhall

May 9 , 2008

A 21-YEAR-OLD Langford man pleaded guilty to importing the banned substance benzylpiperazine (BZP), known as an alternative to Ecstasy and other party drugs, in Perth Magistrate's Court today.

Shaun Dromey, a Curtin University IT student, submitted he was unaware the active ingredient in the two bottles of 205 capsules he had ordered from a New Zealand based company in September 2007 was illegal.

The prosecuting police sergeant, who mispronounced benzylpiperazine when presenting the evidence, said customs officers had notified police of the parcel containing the capsules addressed to Dromey. The police then executed a search warrant on Dromey’s Langford rental property.

Dromey was fined $600, and ordered to pay costs of $249.50 relating to the search warrant.

The offence was recorded as a spent conviction and Magistrate Paul Heaney heard this was Dromey's first offence, and he was unlikely to re-offend.

Outside the court, Dromey said he knew BZP was controversial, but was unaware it was illegal and he'd heard about it through friends and over the internet.

The capsules were marketed on the internet by TheGoodStuff.co.nz as Formula 1. However, since New Zealand authorities have rescheduled BZP, the product line has been removed and the company has been offering BZP-free dietary supplements instead.

A search on the internet for BZP and its legal status in Australia did not produce results that would inform a curious public of the risk of importing the substance. However, TheGoodStuff advises customers it is their responsibility to know the legal status and import laws of their country.

BZP, a stimulant that has an effect similar to amphetamines, was brought to public attention through a sports doping scandal in 2006 involving Australian weightlifters.