Street drugs stronger than heroin linked to 54 deaths in UK

Super-strength street drugs more powerful than heroin have been linked to at least 54 deaths in the UK in the last six months, the BBC has been told.

The deaths are all linked to synthetic opioids called nitazenes, which experts fear are being manufactured in labs and then imported into the UK from China.

However, the true total could be higher – the National Crime Agency (NCA) said 40 more cases awaited further testing.

The UK government plans to classify 15 new synthetic opioids as Class A drugs.

Nitazenes first made news in the UK in 2021, when an 18-year-old patient was treated for a non-fatal overdose.

Experts say the new drugs can be stronger than both heroin and fentanyl, another synthetic opioid, which is a leading killer in the US – contributing to 75,000 deaths last year.

Warning: This article contains descriptions of drugs use

Following a sudden spike in UK deaths this summer, the government put out a warning across the NHS and drug services – the second National Patient Safety Alert in three years.

In Birmingham, where 16 deaths occurred in two months this summer, the city’s director of public health said use of the drug could be a “turning moment in the drug market”.

Dr Justin Varney warned nitazenes could cause “a global drug problem”.