Austrilia: Kronic kingpin Investigated over E-cigarettes after Dodging Drug Laws

Source from:  News Interactive Network/News Limited/News.com 09/07/2015

A SYNTHETIC-CANNABIS kingpin who beat Queensland drug-trafficking charges is under investigation over a new line of e-cigarettes.

Matthew Wielenga made a fortune selling his Kronic brand of synthetic cannabis to Australian customers from a Gold Coast base. Dubbed the "Kronic King", he was charged with trafficking the drug in 2013 and had $4.7 million in Queensland property frozen under proceeds-of-crime laws.

However, a magistrate last year found there was no case to answer because prosecutors could not prove his products had the same pharmacological effects as cannabis.

Queensland drug laws have since been changed to make it an offence for anyone to possess, sell or traffic any substance that intends to mimic illicit drugs.

Queensland's drug squad is investigating whether Wielenga, 32, may be defying the bans on synthetic cannabis with a new e-cigarette product called Kronic Juice, which is being sold to Australians online.

The squad confirmed other e-cigarette products suspected to be synthetic cannabis had also been detected in Queensland and had been sent for scientific analysis.

Vaping - the term for inhaling the vapour of e-cigarettes - of synthetic cannabis has become popular at British and American music festivals, according to reports. British retailers are promoting Kronic Juice as containing a "new cannabinoid" that mimics the effect of the leafy version.

The product is also being sent to Australia from Britain pending the establishment of a NSW distribution centre to speed up delivery, according to posts on its Facebook page.

One customer asked: "Are any retailers selling this stuff in Queensland, Australia? I would be VERY interested in buying BULK if this juice really works, but I'm not willing to invest thousands without personally sampling."

The Facebook administrator replied: "Will sort you out for sure."

Another customer questioned if Kronic Juice gave the same "head spin" as the leafy product and was available in Australia.

The administrator replied: "Yes & yes."

At his peak, Wielenga was distributing up to 6000 packets of Kronic a day from a Southport warehouse, amassing invoices of more than $500,000 in less than a month.

He declined to comment. Enditem