Deadly new drugs found in fake medicines in the UK

Super-strength drugs linked to hundreds of deaths have been found in samples of fake medicines bought across the UK, the BBC can reveal.

We found more than 100 examples of people trying to buy prescription medicines such as diazepam - commonly used to treat anxiety, muscle spasms and seizures - and instead receiving products containing nitazenes.

The synthetic opioid drugs have been connected to 278 deaths across the country in a year, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA). Nitazenes can be stronger than both heroin and fentanyl, a prolific killer in the US.

Martin Raithelhuber, an illicit synthetic drug expert from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, said the BBC’s findings were a “very worrying development”.

Warning: This article contains descriptions of drugs use

A government spokesperson said it was “securing our borders from the threat” through “world-leading intelligence, dedicated cross-government taskforce and extensive international networks”.

The contaminated substances were identified in anonymous samples submitted to WEDINOS, the only national drug-checking service in the UK.

It said the fake medicines looked like "the same kind of packet you might get from your chemist on the high street" but were "most likely purchased from illicit online pharmacies".

Anne Jacques had never heard of nitazenes when a police officer knocked at her door in the early hours of 17 July 2023 and said her son had been found dead at his student flat.

Alex Harpum, 23, had been preparing for a career as an opera singer and had been accepted for a two-year masters course.

“Watching him sing was one of the biggest joys in my life ever,” Ms Jacques said.

It was initially suspected the cause of his death was sudden adult death syndrome, but eight months later Alex's family learned he had taken a substance contaminated with a nitazene.

Phone records suggested he had tried to buy tablets usually sold as Xanax, which are only available with a private prescription in the UK.

Ms Jacques, who lives in north Wales, believes Alex was doing so because he often struggled with sleeping while taking medication for his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The traces of nitazenes were only detected after she queried with police why earlier tests had not looked for them.

Ms Jacques said she remained in “disbelief" at the lack of testing, adding: “If I hadn’t pushed for better answers in the middle of massive grief, then to this day I would have no idea how he actually died.

"Unless we’re testing for them, how is anyone going to be aware and informed [of the dangers]":[]}