THOUSANDS of Germans have been stuffing euro notes up their noses — and destroying not only their health but also the currency, police believe.

They say that the mystery of why euro notes have been falling apart since the summer — many look moth-eaten after only a day in the pocket — is down to an increasing use of crystal methamphetamine. In Germany this drug is fast replacing cocaine as the illegal party substance of choice.

The main variant used in nightclubs is white and goes by the names of “tweak”, “tina” or “ice”.

The crystals are pulverised and spread on a note that is then rolled up and funnelled into a nostril.

The disintegrating notes have been puzzling police forces across the country and angering ordinary consumers.

The Bundesbank, which normally takes damaged currency, has been very reluctant to take these notes back.

An investigation has begun in different currency storage depots. But so far drug use is the only working explanation for the presence of sulphuric acid. The €50 note is said to be of the right dimensions for taking the drug and as a result these notes have become the first casualties.

Much of the crystal methamphetamine reaching Germany is refined in Poland and the Balkans and is mixed with sulphates. Traces of these sulphates cling to the notes.

A spokesman for the forensic unit of the Rhineland Palatinate police, quoted by Der Spiegel magazine, said: “When a contaminated note comes into contact with human sweat, the chemicals interact to form an aggressive sulphuric acid. If euros are wadded together in a wallet or a purse, the corrosion will spread from one tainted note to all the others.”

In 2003 researchers at the Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research in Nuremberg found that almost all euro notes circulated in Germany contained traces of cocaine.

The study echoed earlier research by Mass Spec Analytical, based in Bristol, that found the drug on more than 99 per cent of banknotes in London.

Some German police forces are now advising consumers to use gloves whenever dealing with cash — and to spend as quickly as possible.

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