The first designer drugs dealer has been sentenced in Poland. Twenty two year-old Pawel A. was given one and a half years in prison today for trading drugs which contained illegal substances.

Pawel A., an owner of one of the many shops to spring up in Poland selling dopalacze, or smart/designer drugs, earned the equivalent of 18,000 euro from the sales in half a year, a court heard.

When police tested a variety of drugs it turned out that 15 out of 18 contained illegal substances.

The defendant claimed that he was not aware the products he sold were illegal.

The case predates the recent police raids on hundreds of shops across Poland in a new campaign to criminalise designer drug sellers in Poland.

Shop owners say that police have been closing down retail outlets selling perfectly legal substances, which have not been prescribed by law as yet.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk admitted that the authorities were acting “on the edges of the law” in closing down the shops, saying it was up to lawmakers to plug legal loopholes. (mg/pg)

Source: PAP