News / Crime
Police aware of Shaun the Sheep ecstacy pills
As Bristol cashes in on the Shaun in the City trail, drug dealers seem to have found their own way of making a bit on the side from the overwhelmingly popular charity attraction.
A batch of ecstasy tablets have entered into circulation to coincide with the Shaun the Sheep statues placed on street corners across the city until the end of August.
The “strong” batch of pills, made using a Shaun the Sheep mould which pictures the sheep on one side and the animation’s logo on the other, have a street value of about £7-£10 each, according to a source who sent pictures to Bristol24/7.
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Police said they are aware of the tablets and warned that drugs and related crimes were having a “negative impact” on communities in Bristol.
The Grand Appeal, the children’s hospital charity which runs Shaun in the City, said it would not comment on “something that is not related to the Shaun in the City trail”.
The charity is hoping to generate millions of pounds from the official app and merchandising, while bakeries are even distributing Shaun shaped cakes and cookies for the sheep hunters.
Tourism is flourishing and bars, restaurants, cafes and hotels are all benefiting from the hardcore fans trudging around the city in search of the Aardman characters.
And now dealers are clearly in on the action, with the release of the ecstasy tablets. A reader, who asked to remain anonymous, said the tablets were in “wide circulation” and were “clean”, with a high level of the active ingredient MDMA.
An Avon and Somerset police spokesperson said: “We are aware of tablets baring this logo. Drugs and drugs related crime have a significantly negative impact on our communities. We are committed to tackling the problems associated with drug use and drug dealing and welcome any information that members of our communities may have.”
Information and confidential drug advice is available from Talk to Frank. Bristol Drugs Project also runs drug and alcohol services.