Silent Vengeance

Prologue

Yaba, (yar bah), known as "crazy medicine" in Thai, is a powerful central nervous system stimulant. With longer lasting effects than those of cocaine, it's a combination of methamphetamine and up to 65 mg caffeine, but mostly meth.

During World War II Hitler ordered the manufacture of a drug that would keep troops awake for days. They labeled it "Nazi speed." The Nazi method employed the drug ephedrine, a natural stimulant found in the ephedra bush. Far Eastern ephedra has a higher concentration of ephedrine than the Western plant, and is frequently used in allergy and cold medicines. The other main ingredients of yaba are found in common household cleaning products, salt, rat poison, a binding agent and food coloring. Preparation time is only a couple of hours, as compared to "speed" formulas that could take days. All that's needed are a stove or open fire, a heavy cooking container, and a pill press. But with a mixture of volatile chemicals, anything could go wrong — explosions, massive destruction.

At one time legal in Thailand, yaba was sold at gas stations, alongside cigarettes and soft drinks. Truckers would take it to help them stay awake for longer periods of time. In 1970 it was finally outlawed, at which time production and supply simply went underground. Hidden laboratories produced as many as 10K pills an hour. In Bangkok each pill sold for as little as $3.

Side effects from normal doses could cause intense hallucinations; susceptibility to rapid heart rate; increased blood pressure; psychotic episodes; damage to internal organs and small blood vessels in the brain that could lead to stroke; severe depression, and suicidal urges.

Yaba had found its way to the American aircraft carrier, the USS John Preston.