bit-gamer.net

Man finds ecstacy in pre-owned game

Published on 9th April 2009 by Joe Martin

A Gloucestershire man reportedly found a sachet of ecstasy pills hidden in the manual of a pre-owned game.

This isn't something that we imagine happens an awful lot, but a Gloucestershire man apparently obtained pure ecstasy over the weekend with a pre-owned copy of Grand Theft Auto - and we don't mean that he was really happy, either.

Richard Thornhill apparently bought himself two different pre-owned Grand Theft Auto games last weekend, though it isn't specified which ones exactly, at a GameStation in Cheltenham. He took the games home, opened them and found that one of the boxes contained a plastic bag with four ecstasy tablets inside. Thornhill then did what any responsible person would do and took the pills, which had been hidden in the game manual, to the police.

"I have two children and my son plays Xbox all the time," said Mr Thornhill in a comment to The Telegraph, obviously oblivious to the age rating on the game.

"He could easily have opened the box and found them. I dread to think what the consequences would have been if he had. He is only 12. He could have died."

Is GameStation likely to be prosecuted for drug-dealing now? No, though they have launched an immediate effort to track down the source of the drugs and are helping the police with their investigation.

"We have rigorous procedures for accepting pre-owned titles and checking them before they are put back on sale," said a GameStation spokesperson.

Have you ever had trouble with a pre-owned game? Let us know in the forums.

40 Comments

Discuss in the forums Reply

DougEdey 9th April 2009, 12:09

Sorry, but he's a fool, the game is 18 BBFC rated for a REASON! The drugs are a side point but this just shows that parents are not listening to Game ratings.

Jack_Pepsi 9th April 2009, 12:13

I'm just confused as to how GameStation would miss a baggy full of pills y'know?! Hmm... this case is too hard for me, think this is a job for the Hardley Boys!

V3ctor 9th April 2009, 12:18

Lool... GTA 4, with free Ecs... I believe that it's there, to give a more immersive story...

shigllgetcha 9th April 2009, 12:23

he seems on edge he musta taken them

to protect the children ofcourse

cjoyce1980 9th April 2009, 12:34

more media bashing for GTA - this gets old and bored - but the article forget to ask why daddy thinks its ok for him to buy his kids an 18 rating game...... would he buy them a 18 rating film or adult movie, i guess not.

ashchap 9th April 2009, 12:39

I was pretty surprised when I read:

Quote:

Thornhill then did what any responsible person would do and took the pills, which had been hidden in the game manual

But then I saw:

Quote:

, to the police.

shigllgetcha 9th April 2009, 12:53

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2366932.ece

theres a proper pic on the sun.

looks like a dealer or something

_DTM2000_ 9th April 2009, 12:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashchap
I was pretty surprised when I read:
Quote:
Thornhill then did what any responsible person would do and took the pills, which had been hidden in the game manual
But then I saw:
Quote:
, to the police.

Me too. :D

Aterius Gmork 9th April 2009, 12:56

That his son is playing X-Box doesn't mean that he (the son) is playing the GTA titles, right? Mr. Thornhill could have bought the games for himself, to play when his son is in bed. Some families share their stuff, instead of everyone having his or her own console. Still, kids sometimes do things they ought not to do - like watching a movie or play a forbidden game - when their parents are out of the house. I did, you did.

Denithor 9th April 2009, 13:04

Quote:

"We have rigorous procedures for accepting pre-owned titles and checking them before they are put back on sale," said a GameStation spokesperson.

Rigorous inspections before put back out for sale?

Rigorous enough to miss a bag of E.

Nice...

V3ctor 9th April 2009, 13:08

The picture of the guy... He's probably a drug dealer that took too much E and forgot where he stashed it

shigllgetcha 9th April 2009, 13:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aterius Gmork
That his son is playing X-Box doesn't mean that he (the son) is playing the GTA titles, right? Mr. Thornhill could have bought the games for himself, to play when his son is in bed.

yeh i thought that too i think someone just jumped to conclusions

Woodspoon 9th April 2009, 13:20

only 4 in a £25 game? I'd have taken it back and demanded more

Jordan Wise 9th April 2009, 13:32

serves him right for lettinig his kids play gta

Star*Dagger 9th April 2009, 13:40

It is really great to see how far gaming has come, back in the 80s games used to come in little ziplock bags. Now in 2009, a visionary puts E into a modern game with great graphics.
Progress I tell you!!

LOL,
S*D

azrael- 9th April 2009, 13:40

So he gets the super ultra diamond deluxe version of GTA (free with "mood enhancers") for cheap and STILL he's unsatisfied? Sheesh... there's just no pleasing some people.

scarrmrcc 9th April 2009, 13:48

from the sun article:

The store asked us to bring back the game and the tablets and told us wed get a refund, but thats not good enough."

simple, one of the employees was using it to traffic, drugs, and he wants it back so he can give it to the right buyer.

proxymoron 9th April 2009, 14:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by DougEdey
Sorry, but he's a fool, the game is 18 BBFC rated for a REASON! The drugs are a side point but this just shows that parents are not listening to Game ratings.

You're absolutely right. The enforcement of age restriction on games is far more important than the supply of class A controlled substances. Frankly, I'm surprised that this hasn't happened more often in an attempt to sniff out lax parenting.

Skiddywinks 9th April 2009, 14:37

I would have been far more entertained had it been "Thornhill then did what any responsible person would do and took the pills." as you guys have mentioned :/

Anyway, it's an 18 game, and if there is a chance your kids are playing it then that is a parental failure, plain and simple.

And there has not been a single documented case of someone dying on ecstasy due to the ecstasy itself. Some people are just plain ignorant (and I'm talking the drug knowledge and letting his kids play clearly over aged games).

Also, Jesus Christ. He does look like a druggy.

tranc3 9th April 2009, 16:53

I don't mean to start a game rating conversation but I've always looked at M ratings as a suggestion as if your mature enough to play it and know the difference between real life and a game you should be able to play it with a parents consent. witch is how I've always lived. will be turning 18 in may. either way the drugs where in a game store with im sure there ware games aimed at younger children in there. that makes it scary, for me at least.

duc 9th April 2009, 17:33

Ecstasy pills found in X-Box game

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbc.co.uk
Richard Thornhill, 34, found the drugs under the front cover of X-Box game Grand Theft Auto IV, which he bought from Gamestation in Cheltenham.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Thornhill
"What made me feel the most distraught was the fact we let our 12-year-old play the game."

Idiot!!

Puzzu 9th April 2009, 17:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skiddywinks

And there has not been a single documented case of someone dying on ecstasy due to the ecstasy itself.

Sorry Skiddywinks,

But you last comment does not hold true

ref : http://www.talktofrank.com/drugs.aspx?id=180 or http://www.thesite.org/drinkanddrugs/drugsafety/drugsandyourbody/canecstasykill

But since it's not said what these pills were cut with who's to say it would not have killed his son.

But I do agree on all other aspects of you post.

thehippoz 9th April 2009, 18:03

there were 2 missing

hyperion 9th April 2009, 20:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by duc
Ecstasy pills found in X-Box game

They look like they just shared a splif.

freedom810 10th April 2009, 00:10

Lol my brother goes to the university of glouchestershire in cheltnum, i bet if he found them he would have made a buck or two! lol

LordPyrinc 10th April 2009, 00:12

And the dad knew what ecstacy looked like huh?

Tomm 10th April 2009, 04:31

It just had to be GTA, right?!

culley 10th April 2009, 09:03

ROFL i live in Gloucestershire!

Spaceraver 11th April 2009, 00:09

Send them to me... I'll test them to see if they're real..

The_Beast 11th April 2009, 00:13

great, drugs and GTA already go together

wgy 11th April 2009, 16:33

i think he planted them there himself.

went to the sun (lol)... sold a story, made some money,

then went back to play GTA4 and drug dealing.

we could ALL do it... start a nation wide panic that gamestation is a front for drug traffic.

azrael- 11th April 2009, 18:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by wgy
i think he planted them there himself.

went to the sun (lol)... sold a story, made some money,

then went back to play GTA4 and drug dealing.

we could ALL do it... start a nation wide panic that gamestation is a front for drug traffic.

Devious... me like! :D

Mr T 12th April 2009, 19:45

Could you really be bothered going to the police? Id probably laugh about it tell a few friends then simply throw them out.

GravitySmacked 12th April 2009, 19:50

Maybe that's where his kids were hiding them :p

Dreaming 13th April 2009, 01:59

its really a non story isn't it? I mean you could post up a story about someone buying a use car and finding drugs tucked under the seat and it would be just the same, nothing really to do with cars except for general interest and I don't think people should be saying "well it serves the dad right if he's going to let his underage son use [the car / the game]" because that's missing the point really. Still, it's not really about games and I don't see how it's supposed to be a 'dig' at GTA. It's about banned substances which may be harmful especially so to vulnerable people like children. I don't see how the story would be any different whatsoever if he had picked up peggle off the shelf that day and found the pills.

Star*Dagger 21st April 2009, 14:36

I think i play with people who have the TF2 version of this, they populate many of the EU tf2 public servers!

GravitySmacked 21st April 2009, 18:45

Que?

E.E.L. Ambiense 21st April 2009, 19:22

That's an unfortunate situation, I suppose.

I've never found an actual drug inside any media I've purchased, but I recall a couple times at least when I bought a used CD and it smelled like skunkweed inside it. I just laugh because it was an electronic dub album or something.

But I think we're all missing the point, here. Let's just let Peter Griffin explain it...

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zHXi8h8H2VA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zHXi8h8H2VA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

:D

WorkingGal 27th April 2010, 10:30

Did no one notice that the photo in the news articles? The game has a new blockbuster sticker on it, not a pre-owned Gamestation sticker:| The stickers not even on the right side!

What kind of parent would allow their 12 year old kid to play GTA? It is one of the worst 18 rated games, although the drugs being in the case is negligence on the staffs part. Each pre-owned game is supposed to be checked for scratches and damage before being traded in, if that had been done surely they would of noticed the the bag of drugs stashed in there, so somebody wasn't doing their job!

sleepygamer 27th April 2010, 12:00

From The Sun's article "I know they are ecstasy tablets because they have the Mitsubishi sign on top of them."

So... uh... how did he "know" this? Either he has previous experience, or has listened to a lot of high school drug education classes. For all he knew, they could have just been mints kindly provided by Mitsubishi for loyal customers... or something.