AN ALCOHOLIC energy drink has come under fire after a committee heard a spike in violence in the area among youths could be related to the drink.
An unprecedented surge of violence in Newcastle’s city centre could be linked to kids getting their hands on Dragon Soop – a caffeinated alcoholic drink with an ABV of 7.5 per cent, according to Northumbria Police.
Dragon Soop contains a whopping 175mg of caffeine – twice the amount of a cup of coffeeNNP
Alan, 77, and Maureen Kent, 76, said they wouldn’t think the drink was alcoholicNNP
Frantz Brinster, 31, and Jacqueline Schlingmann, 27, said it doesn’t make sense to have so much alcohol in itNNP
One anonymous shop worker, who sells the energy drink, claims teenagers gather outside and try to convince adults to buy it for them.
She even claims it’s so bad they are considering taking the beverage off the shelves because of the spike in anti-social behaviour.
“Teenagers are always waiting outside and trying to get their hands on the drink,” she said.
the shop worker added: “They’ll come in and try their luck but we’re very strict and don’t sell without ID.
“They also ask adults to come in and purchase the drink for them.
“My boss has even ran after them after it was bought by an adult for them and got it back.
“They don’t realise how dangerous it is.
“The caffeine and alcohol together is bad for kids.
“My granddaughter is 13 and she had an adult buy it for her around her estate and it was awful to see her in that state.
“It’s not cheap, it’s £3.29 a can but it’s more like an energy drink so it appeals to them.
“It’s in a can so they can buy one and pass it around.”
She added: “We’re thinking of taking it off the shelves.
“It makes you worry about anti-social behaviour when they crowd around the store.
“You fear for shoplifting and them causing trouble or drinking underage.
“But there aren’t enough police on the street, and when you call them they don’t come fast enough.
“That’s why the city centre is so bad.
“The drink is popular with teenagers and people who are going on a night out and want a buzz.
“People buy it before getting the train back from a night out.
“It’s popular with Scottish people as that’s where it’s from.”
During a committee meeting last Tuesday, Newcastle councillors considered whether to allow a convenience store on Grainger Street to sell alcohol.
Shocking figures presented during the meeting show the number of police incidents on Grainger Street, in the city centre, jumped from 99 in 2022 up to 163 across 2023.
It was heard gangs of up to 30 youngsters have been congregating at popular locations in Newcastle city centre to drink booze and commit ‘serious assault’.
The canned 500ml drink contains a whopping 175mg of caffeine – which is twice the amount of a cup of coffee.
Dragon Soop also contains more alcohol per volume than the average beer.
“I didn’t know about the anti-social behaviour part but I can understand why with the caffeine and alcohol.
George Williams
‘LIFESTYLE DRINK’
George Williams, 20, a theatre student at Newcastle University: “I see a lot of them hanging about the streets.
You always see a Dragon Soop on the way to a club.
“I can see how the caffeinated energy drinks are marketed towards younger people.
“It has got quite a funny reputation.
“It’s one of those drinks that you buy if you and your friends were feeling a bit silly.
“I’ve never had a bad experience with it, myself, as I usually stick to one.
Stick to one and then you’re away for the rest of the night.
“It was suggested to me.
“My mate bought us both one and I tried it.
“I’ll be honest, it’s not the best-tasting drink.
“I wouldn’t suggest it if you wanted a nice, cold beverage on a summer’s day.
“It is a student lifestyle drink.
“I have it before a night out.
“I wouldn’t keep drinking them.
“You don’t want the caffeine fighting the alcohol.
“The rise in anti-social behaviour linked to the drink surprises me.
“In my experience, it’s never been that way.“
‘BAD MIX’
Ursula Falshaw, 18, an Architecture student at Newcastle University, added: “It looks pretty, and the bright colours and patterns make it look enticing.
“It catches the eye.
“It doesn’t look necessarily harmful.
“But I wouldn’t expect two cups of coffee to be in one can.
“It’s a bit of a dangerous mess.
“I don’t see why you’d want to be hyper and drunk at the same time.
“It’s a bad mix.
“The retailers need to take responsibility for how much they’re selling.
“If you saw a young person drinking it, you would think it was an energy drink – you wouldn’t think it was alcohol.”
Ursula Falshaw
Ursula believes parents should take responsibility and not buy it for their children.
“It says 7.5% volume as well, so a beer compared to this is nothing,” she added.
“If I picked this up, I’d probably accidentally mistake it for an energy drink.
Claudia Eze, 18, a classmate of Ursula, from Gateshead, said: “I’ve heard that having caffeine and then drinking is not the best thing to do.
“Shops are responsible for how accessible they are and how visible they are.
“The design reminds me of a beer, but generally it looks more like an energy drink.”
LOCALS REFLECT
Alan Kent, 77, a retired vice principal, of Consett, County Durham said: “I’ve not heard of it.
“It sounds like a pretty lethal combination of things.
“I don’t know what the impact is if you have too many of them.
“It could attribute, I suppose, to anti-social behaviour.
“In fairness, it does say 7.5% on it, which is a fairly high alcohol content.
“A pint would be somewhere between 4-5%.
“I wouldn’t drink it and we’re not into anti-social behaviour.”
Maureen Kent, 76, a retired lecturer, also from Consett, County Durham said: “It doesn’t look like an alcoholic drink to me.
“I thought it was going to be like a Red Bull.
“Well, it wouldn’t appeal to me but I’m not a teenager.”
Jacqueline Schlingmann, 27, an airport worker from Dortmund, Germany, said: “I thought that it was an energy drink.
“I wouldn’t have thought there was alcohol in it.
“I’m surprised.
“It doesn’t make any sense that you have a drink like this with so much alcohol in it.
Jacqueline Schlingmann
The airport worker claims she would not be surprised if she saw children buying the product.
The packaging seems designed more towards the youth, she said.
“I wouldn’t think it’s an alcoholic drink,” Jacqueline added.
“It’s not particularly beer-looking.
“If teenagers are drinking alcohol and coffee then it makes sense that it would end in anti-social behaviour.”
Franz Brinster, 31, a sales consultant from Dortmund, Germany, said: “It’s not the shop’s job to prevent this being sold.
“The customer makes the decision whether or not they want to buy it so it’s more down to the individual.
“I wouldn’t say that the package looks aggressive.
“It looks more for adults, not for teenagers.”
The Sun went to the manufacturers for comment.
Towns terroriesed by youth crime
Buckley, North Wales
Kids as young as ten have wreaked havoc – with feral yobs trashing properties and spitting at women.
Business owners and locals alike, say they are “living in fear” as they are being persistently terrorised.
Southend seafront
Residents who said their seaside town is being ruined by hordes of teens running wild revealed they lived in fear of stabbings and acid attacks.
Goring, West Sussex
Locals say their seaside town is being ruined by unruly kids – claiming that people are too scared to walk along the beach and tourists are being driven away.
Padstow Cornwall
Angry holidaymakers told how their trip to a picturesque seaside town was ruined by hordes of drunk and “obnoxious” teens.
Polzeath Cornwall
Residents of a seaside village claim it is being ruined by rowdy partygoers who dump rubbish in the street and steal from them.
George Williams, 20, claims he always sees the drink on the way to a clubNNP
Shop owners are considering banning the drinkNNP Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
