It's no secret that drug dealers will cut their stuff with harmless products to bulk up their supply. But there is a real concern that some are mixing already very dangerous substances with other risky chemicals.
That's certainly the case in South Yorkshire, where seven people are believed to have died after taking a dodgy form of heroin. It's understood the drug was mixed with the strong anaesthetics carfentanil and fentanyl to give it a bigger hit.
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There have already been concerns that fentanyl is becoming more prevalent in the UK after causing scores of deaths by overdose in Canada and the US. Medical examiners ruled last year that pop icon Prince died from a fatal fentanyl overdose, said the drug was found along with other counterfeit pills recovered from his home.
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National Crime Agency's head of Drugs Threat and Intelligence, Tony Saggers, says: "This class A synthetic drug is upwards of 100 times more potent than street heroin, with some analogues many more times potent again. Fentanyl is responsible for hundreds of deaths in North America, although until very recently has been extremely rare in the UK.
"Fentanyl can be problematic to identify in post-mortem toxicology, but we have noticed an increase in the drug in forensic testing of street heroin. Heroin users need to be aware that the amount of fentanyl in a £10 bag of heroin need only be 1/50th of the total quantity (about two milligrams) to be a lethal dose."
But carfentanil is apparently far stronger. It's roughly 10,000 (yes, ten thousand) times stronger than morphine. It's so strong that it's usually used as an anaesthetic for large animals such as elephants. Last year, Canadian authorities intercepted just one kilogram of the substance which was disguised as printer toner cartridges. That would be enough carfentanil to wipe out the entire population of the country.
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That's how rough this stuff is.
Carfentanil is so intense that it's being compared to nerve gas. An Associated Press article found that you could ship a kilogram of the substance from China to several Western countries for as little as $2,750 (£2,121), no questions asked. Former US Assistant Secretary of Defence for Nuclear, Chemical & Biological Defense Programs, Andrew Weber told the news organisation: "Countries that we are concerned about were interested in using it for offensive purposes... We are also concerned that groups like ISIS could order it commercially."
UK Police have noticed the heroin hybrid had popped up in Humber, Yorkshire and England's north-east. But last month seven people died within days of each other in Barnsley.
A police spokesman has told The Sun: "We are keeping an open mind as to the circumstances surrounding each death and continue to explore whether there are any connections between them."
You've been warned.
Featured Image Credit: PA