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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Di's squaddies 'high on drugs' in Ulster claim
Brenda O'Neill Sunday Life, Belfast
Sunday 27 Oct 2002 Soldiers get boot after positive tests ARMY Top Brass in Ulster are investigating allegations of drugs parties involving soldiers from a regiment named after Diana, Princess of Wales. The inquiry was launched after a whistleblower claimed squaddies from the second battalion of the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment got high on cannabis, cocaine and Ecstasy during a tour of duty in Northern Ireland. The Army has admitted that a security cordon was thrown around the regiment's English home base last July to catch those responsible. A source said: "The Ministry of Defence decided to await the return of the regiment from Northern Ireland before launching a swoop on them at the battalion's base in Aldershot." Nine soldiers from the regiment were discharged from the Army after testing positive for drugs. Four other soldiers were still under investigation after giving positive samples, while another was awaiting discharge, said Army Major Andrew Bonfante. Major Bonfante could not say what drugs were involved, the ranks of the men nor when the others would be dealt with. However, he added: "Everybody from the top man down is tested. "The team turns up at a camp, they lock the gates - no one is allowed out until the tests are complete. "If NCOs were involved, the Army would take an even harsher view." Drugs tests were introduced in the mid-1990s to stamp out drug-taking in the Army. A source said: "When allegations are made about drug-taking, often the best way to stamp it out is to order the testing of every soldier in a regiment - officers and all." The scandal at the Princess of Wales regiment is just the latest drugs furore surrounding regiments serving in Ulster. Last month, one officer and three privates from the Edinburgh-based Royal Scots regiment were caught in possession of Ecstasy and cannabis.
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