Inside meth's ‘golden triangle'

In the Czech Republic, a once modest cottage industry for producing crystal meth has transformed into large-scale, industrial-scale "kombilabs" due to the influx of international organized crime groups. The Czech police continue to confront this pervasive issue, as evidenced by a recent raid in Ostrava, where officers discovered drums of chemical precursors and distillation equipment, effectively dismantling another clandestine lab.

The drug, still commonly known as "pervitin" or "the poor man's cocaine," remains widely available, with a gram selling for approximately $35 – a fifth of the price of cocaine. It can be found in various settings, from schoolyards in Bohemia to Prague's main railway station. Approximately 60% of the country's largest women's prison, situated in Světlá nad Sázavou, is populated by inmates serving drug-related sentences, with over half of them grappling with meth addiction.

One such inmate, 33-year-old Gabriela, began using the drug at the age of 16 in her school playground. She subsequently abandoned her education, became pregnant by her dealer, and began working as a caregiver in a nursing home. During weekends, her two daughters were cared for by their grandparents while Gabriela continued her drug addiction.

She explained that methamphetamine provided an instant solution to her myriad problems, including poverty and anxiety, essentially "flipping a light switch" and making her forget about time itself. Unlike the common portrayal of crystal meth being smoked or snorted, as depicted in US television series like Breaking Bad, in the Czech Republic, the drug is predominantly injected, with over 90% of high-risk users opting for this method.

For addicts like Gabriela, who have exhausted the possibility of vein reuse, some are offered assistance in "cooking" the drug, essentially manufacturing their own supply.