BBCA super-potent drug linked to hundreds of deaths has been found in samples of fake drugs bought across the UK, the BBC has revealed.
We found more than 100 examples of people trying to buy prescription drugs such as diazepam, which is commonly used to treat anxiety, muscle spasms, and seizures, and instead receiving products containing Nitazene.
According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), synthetic opioid drugs are linked to 278 deaths across the country in one year. Nitazen may be more powerful than heroin or fentanyl. America’s prolific killer.
Martin Reiselhuber, an expert on illegal synthetic drugs at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, said the BBC’s findings were a “very worrying development”.
Warning: This article contains references to drug use
A government spokesperson said it was “securing our borders from threats” through “world-leading intelligence agencies, specialized cross-government forces and extensive international networks”.
The contaminants were identified in anonymous samples submitted to WEDINOS, the UK’s only national drug testing service.
The report said the counterfeit medicines appeared to be “the same kind of parcels you would get at a high street pharmacy” but were “likely to have been purchased from an illegal online pharmacy”.
Anne-Jacques had no idea who Nitazen was when police knocked on her door in the early hours of July 17, 2023, to tell her that her son had been found dead in his student apartment. Ta.
Alex Harpum, 23, was preparing for a career as an opera singer and had been accepted into a two-year master’s program.
“Watching him sing was one of the greatest joys of my life,” Jack said.
Ann JacquesInitially, his cause of death was suspected to be Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, but eight months later Alex’s family learned that he had ingested a substance contaminated with Nizen.
Phone records suggest he tried to buy pills, usually sold as Xanax, which are not available in the UK without a private prescription.
Jack, who lives in north Wales, believes Alex did this because he was having trouble sleeping while taking medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Traces of Nitazen were only detected after police were asked why previous tests had not detected Nitazen.
Jack said he was still in “disbelief” that he had not been tested, adding: “If I hadn’t sought better answers in the midst of my deep grief, to this day I would never have known how he actually died.”
“How will anyone be aware and informed unless we test them? [of the dangers]? ”
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said there had been “delays beyond the Metropolitan Transport Authority’s control” regarding the need for and timing of a specialist inspection in this case.
North London Coroner’s Office said it was continuing to liaise with the family about their concerns.
Ann JacquesThe BBC analyzed sample results published by WEDINOS, the Welsh public health service that shares information about the UK’s illicit drug market. Record what the person submitting each sample intended to purchase.
In the year to September 2024, there were 130 cases where people tried to illegally purchase and possess medicines without a prescription, and in return received material contaminated with Nitazene.
Many were disguised as benzodiazepines such as diazepam, or insomnia medications such as temazepam and zolpidem.
Nitazene was also detected in a substance masquerading as the allergy drug promethazine.
Professor Rick Lines from WEDINOS said: ‘Perhaps people realize they can’t keep taking their legitimate prescriptions and decide to go down what they think is another legitimate route, but in reality it’s not. “It was.”
The government plans to make all types of Nitazen a Class A drug. In March, 15 synthetic opioids were reclassified.
Under the Misuse of Drugs Act, those involved in supplying or manufacturing drugs can be jailed for up to life, and those in possession can be jailed for up to seven years.
Reiselhuber said there are “lessons to be learned from North America,” where people became addicted to prescription painkillers before the use of fentanyl-containing placebos became widespread.
“So this could be an early sign that traffickers are trying to expand, although we haven’t yet seen that here in Europe,” he said.
“I think this is probably a warning to all the other countries in Europe… that Nitazen is probably going to be around for some time to come and the potential negative effects on the health of users are huge.”
He said that since benzodiazepines and nitazene are both depressants, “their combined effects greatly increase the risk of overdose.”
Effects of synthetic opioids
Signs that someone may have taken one of these drugs:
- small and narrow pupils
- decreased or loss of consciousness
- dizziness or drowsiness
- difficulty breathing
- nausea or vomiting
- My skin is cold and sticky
- blue or gray lips and nails
- Low blood pressure or slow heart rate
Anyone who has ingested synthetic opioids and experiences the symptoms listed above should seek urgent medical attention.
Source: Metropolitan Police Department
Harry Sumnall, professor of drug use at Liverpool John Moores University, said the groups of people most at risk “are always those at greatest risk of any drug-related harm”.
He said this includes people with drug use problems and people who “use drugs to manage their life situations.”
The NCA believes Nitazene is being produced in laboratories in China and brought to the UK via Royal Mail and other parcel companies.
Dark web marketplaces seen by the BBC suggest that some of the same online sellers in China are promoting large quantities of nitazene and adulterated benzodiazepines.
Border Patrol will only inspect drug posts if there is a known risk or information. Dogs trained to detect nitazene and other synthetic opioids are “scheduled to enter service soon.”
The company’s team seized new synthetic opioids nine times in the past fiscal year, according to a Freedom of Information Act response.
These attacks range in size from 1g to 1.32kg, which experts say could be equivalent to tens of thousands of doses.
The government said it would also test sewage treatment plant wastewater for new drugs to predict the threat of a spike in overdoses.
However, the company acknowledged that these tests are currently “experimental.” This process took about 2 months The only laboratory known to have successfully confirmed the sample.
Experts previously told the BBC that the last government Too slow to realize the magnitude of the problem.
NCA deputy director general Charles Yates said the NCA takes the Nitazen threat “seriously” and is taking a “zero tolerance approach”.
In England and Wales, there are an average of 49 drug poisoning deaths each week from opiate drugs, including synthetic opioids such as heroin, oxycodone and fentanyl. Latest official numbers suggest.
Additional Data Journalism: Paul Bradshaw
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