At first glance, the numerous websites selling a substance in Britain called mephedrone seem innocent enough. They promise that mephedrone will 'transform your garden' and 'is the highest grade specialist food available on the market today with a purity of 99.7%+'.
But for those in the know, it's all just a cover for the latest, potentially lethal, party drug to take Britain by storm, with many of the wholesale suppliers based in China.
Mephedrone, also known as 4-MMC, MCAT, Meow, Drone and Bubble, is the most popular of a number of so-called legal highs that have taken British authorities by surprise. While many were banned just before Christmas, mephedrone remains legal for sale in Britain, although savvy Web dealers advertise it as plant food or a 'research chemical' to get around restrictions on products for human consumption. It is an open secret that dealers in Britain get much of their product from factories in China.
'We have some indications that yes, indeed, it comes from Asia, from China,' said Roumen Sedefov, head of sector for action on new drugs at the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.
One company, Omnichemlab, listed on the business-to-business website Alibaba.com as being based in Hong Kong, advertises 99.7 per cent pure mephedrone for sale. Its place of origin is listed as Shanghai.
Another company, Nanjing Newshine Industry Co, offers to sell a kilogram of the drug for US$2,550 with delivery in three to five days.