Latest news with #EUDA
NDTV
2 days ago
- Health
- NDTV
Nitazene: All About Drug That's Upto 500 Times Stronger Than Heroin
A drug, believed to be 50-500 times more effective than heroin, has become a major cause of concern in London, UK. Authorities have issued a warning over the deadly synthetic opioid named Nitazene, which is gaining popularity among partygoers. The drug, which is apparently similar to fentanyl, is suspected to be the reason behind two recent deaths, the BBC reported, adding that even tiny doses can be fatal. The Metropolitan Police said that an investigation is underway into the "sudden deaths" of a 28-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman in Southall on May 26. "This is following reports that the individuals allegedly passed away after taking an illicit substance in the form of a green pill," a spokesperson for the force said as quoted by the BBC. The Loop, a UK-based drug testing charity, said that the pills contain synthetic opioids called Nitazenes. The pills can be "50 to 500 times stronger than heroin", and they look like oxycodone pills (oxys). In an Instagram post, East London nightclub The Cause said that the pills had caused "several hospitalisations across multiple London venues". What are nitazenes? Nitazenes were developed in the 1950s as pain-relieving agents. BBC reported that these drugs suppress the respiratory system, hence, people die as they stop breathing. The report also noted that a person can be saved by taking naloxone, which is an antidote. There have been at least 18 deaths linked to nitazenes in London from May 2023 to June 2024, as per the most recent government data. The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) in a recent report highlighted rapid shifts in Europe's drug market. The report noted that this trend has created new health and security risks. As per EUDA, a total of 88 new synthetic opioids have appeared on the European market since 2009. All of the seven new synthetic opioids formally notified to the EWS were nitazenes in 2024. A total of 22 nitazenes are being monitored in Europe to date in Europe. "A recent EUDA pilot threat assessment, focusing on new synthetic opioids in the Baltics, found that nitazenes accounted for a significant share of overdose deaths in Estonia and Latvia. In 2024, at least seven EU Member States and Norway reported harms linked to nitazenes," the EUDA report read.
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Irish Examiner
EU drug report warns of rising cocaine use and synthetic drug threats across Europe
Record quantities of cocaine have been seized in Europe for the seventh year in a row, the EU's drug agency has said. The EUDA said while cocaine cartels typically use commercial containers to ship multi-tonne consignments, they also employ other methods, such as their own cargo ships — and cited the example of the MV Matthew, caught off the Cork coast in September 2023. That vessel was boarded dramatically by elite Army Rangers and 2.25 tonnes of cocaine was seized, in an operation also involving gardaí, customs, the naval service, and the air corps. Gerry Harrahill of Revenue and Customs, Assistant Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly, and Irish Naval Service Commander Tony Geraghty at the Joint Task Force media briefing on September 27, 2023, after the Panamanian-registered MV Matthew was seized with €157m worth of cocaine on board. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA The EU agency said cocaine was the second most common problem drug in the EU for people seeking treatment for the first time, accounting for 26% of all new entrants. However, Irish figures show that the numbers seeking first-time treatment for cocaine was much greater, accounting for 46% of new entrants into treatment in 2023. The EUDA said that, as there was a long time gap between first use and seeking treatment, there could be a 'surge' in treatment demand for cocaine in the coming years. In its European Union Drug Report 2025, the agency also said: Europe is facing an emerging threat from synthetic drugs — including artificial substances that mimic cannabis, heroin and stimulants; High-potency cannabis extracts and edibles such as jellies were of 'particular concern' given hospital admissions and because they were attractive to children; Semi-synthetic cannabinoids such as HHC were found in vapes and gummies and widely available online and in stores in Ireland; Germany, Luxembourg, Malta and Netherlands were allowing for home growing of cannabis, non-profit growing clubs, and cannabis use in private — but the EUDA urged the policies be evaluated to grasp their impact on health and security; The increasing strength of ecstasy posed 'unpredictable health risks' to consumers, with the average MDMA content almost doubling since 2011. This latter trend was highlighted in Ireland last week, when the HSE issued an alert saying that one in four ecstasy tablets tested in 2024 had an average strength about 200mg, twice the typical adult dose. The EUDA report said 419 tonnes of cocaine was seized in 2023, compared to 323 tonnes in 2022 — up 30%. Some 303 tonnes were seized in 2021 and 211 tonnes in 2020, meaning the total almost doubled in three years. European Commissioner for internal affairs Magnus Brunner said: 'The illicit drug trade poses a severe threat to the health and security of our citizens. 'It fosters an environment of intimidation and corruption, undermining the fabric of our communities.'
Euronews
6 days ago
- Health
- Euronews
Overdoses and drug-related gang violence are rising, EU officials say
Between 'unprecedented' cocaine availability, counterfeit painkillers that contain deadly synthetic opioids, and evasive trafficking networks, Europe's drug problems are more complex than ever. That's according to the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), which says illegal drugs are taking their toll across the entire bloc due to addiction, increases in gang violence, and burdened health systems. 'Today we face a fast-changing situation everywhere in Europe,' Alexis Goosdeel, the agency's executive director, told Euronews. An estimated 7,500 people died from drug overdoses in 2023, up from about 7,100 the year before, the analysis found. Most overdose deaths involved opioids, but the risks are changing as more people turn to synthetic drugs and use multiple substances. EU officials called for more proactive efforts to prevent and treat addiction, rather than simply monitoring drug use, as well as increased police efforts to dismantle criminal networks that traffic drugs. Here's what the latest data shows on illegal drug trends across the EU, Norway, and Turkey – and what health authorities are most worried about going forward. Europe's opioid market is changing, with other substances emerging alongside long-term heroin risks. After the Taliban took over in Afghanistan in 2021 and banned opium production the following year, European officials warned that heroin could become harder to find, prompting people to turn to dangerous fentanyl derivatives or synthetic opioids. In 2023, authorities dismantled 14 heroin production sites in Europe, mostly in the Netherlands. One type of synthetic opioid, called nitazenes, is already causing problems in places like Denmark and the Netherlands, where health authorities have warned that people could be buying counterfeit painkillers that actually contain nitazenes. In 2023, the number of nitazene powders detected in Europe tripled. The drugs are so potent that even a small dose can be life-threatening. Germany, France, Sweden, and Norway have reported clusters of overdoses linked to nitazenes, the EUDA said, while the drugs appear to be responsible for a 'significant share' of overdose deaths in Estonia and Latvia. 'What we see already is people who are buying on the internet molecules, believing that they are medicines while in fact they contain other substances,' Goosdeel said. In the past year, about 4.6 million European adults have used cocaine, making it the bloc's most commonly used illegal stimulant. It's also becoming more popular. In 2023, EU member states seized 419 tonnes of cocaine – marking the seventh year in a row of record seizures. The biggest busts were in Belgium (123 tonnes), Spain (118 tonnes), and the Netherlands (59 tonnes), which are key entry points for cocaine trafficked into Europe from elsewhere in the world. Last year, Spain seized 13 tonnes of cocaine, which were hidden in bananas from Ecuador – its largest ever haul from a single bust. Cocaine is also developed in the EU, with authorities dismantling 34 production sites in 2023. The competitive market is driving an uptick in cocaine-related crime and gang violence, the report found. The EUDA expects there to be a surge of people seeking addiction treatment in the coming years, given that there tends to be a lag of about 13 years between someone's first time trying cocaine and their first time seeking treatment. 'We need to build the capacity to be prepared for treatment,' Goosdeel said, because at the moment, 'we are not ready'. An estimated 8.4 per cent of adults – 24 million people – used cannabis in the past year, making it Europe's most commonly used illegal drug, the report found. Cannabis seizures rose slightly in 2023 after falling the year before, the report found. The market is worth at least €12.1 billion, and is run by organised criminal groups that cultivate, traffic, and sell the drug across Europe. Cannabis may be common, but it isn't without its health risks. It can cause or worsen chronic respiratory issues and psychotic symptoms, with long-term, regular users at higher risk. Meanwhile, a class of drugs known as synthetic cannabinoids are a growing concern, the EUDA said. These highly potent drugs may be added to edibles or other cannabis products without people's knowledge, raising the risk of poisoning or other health problems. Last year, European countries detected 20 new cannabinoids, representing more than 40 per cent of the new substances identified by the EU's early warning system. The possible health consequences of cannabinoids are 'poorly understood,' the report said. Still, they may be tied to fatal poisonings or other problems because they have such a high concentration of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis that makes people feel high. 'So yes, there is a danger,' Goosdeel said. Health experts and parents have been raising the alarm about a surge in ADHD cases, particularly among young people – but the increase appears to have tapered off in recent years. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders, affecting an estimated 8 per cent of children and teenagers. Worldwide, around 366 million adults have ADHD, with symptoms including trouble focusing, restlessness, and impulsivity. But a new analysis, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, suggests the apparent recent uptick in ADHD cases may be more due to recognition than reality. It looked at 40 studies on ADHD from 2020 onward. While there were major gaps in data, the highest-quality studies found no significant increase in the overall prevalence of ADHD in that time. They also found no meaningful increase in new diagnoses from 2020 to 2024, though they have been trending upward in recent decades. Researchers also noted that a growing number of people are getting tested and seeking support for ADHD. 'Our best evidence suggests the true rate of ADHD isn't increasing that much,' Philip Shaw, director of the King's Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People, told journalists. 'My hunch is there's such a huge awareness of ADHD that it's often used as… the way young people express they are struggling at school and need help,' added Shaw, who was not involved with the new study. Researchers said the longer-term increase in ADHD cases is likely due to some combination of 'catch-up' diagnoses among people whose conditions were not detected when they were young, as well as changes to how ADHD is diagnosed, pandemic-era disruptions, social media, and other unknown reasons. Some have proposed that constant stimulation from social media and mobile phones – which has earned young people the title of the 'distracted generation' – could be driving an increase in ADHD. A 2023 study, for example, found a link between ADHD symptoms and excessive social media use, smartphone dependence, and internet addiction. But not all attention problems are ADHD, and 'it's too early to say what's causing what here,' Shaw said. 'We don't know what's the chicken and what's the egg'. Researchers said more studies are needed to confirm whether more people are actually developing ADHD than in the past, or if they are simply more likely to be diagnosed. 'We should be looking at these questions… and I think that is what's happening,' Shaw said.
DW
6 days ago
- Health
- DW
Health risks of synthetic drug use in Europe still unknown – DW – 06/05/2025
An EU drug report shows synthetic substances are on an upward trend. Drugs like cathinones are now made in Europe to keep up with demand. The health risks are largely unknown. What you need to know: Synthetic stimulants like cathinones continue to rise in Europe Researchers lack knowledge about the long-term health risks of synthetic drug use Cocaine remains Europe's illicit drug of choice, and it's moving from big cities to small towns Fentanyl and nitazene use are increasing, driven by a ban on opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) monitored 1,000 new psychoactive substances at the end of 2024 and found that local drug users were increasingly consuming new forms of synthetic drugs. This has been the dominant trend in Europe over the past 5-10 years. But what is new is that increasing amounts of these synthetic drugs are now being produced in Europe — previously, they were largely trafficked from India, China or the Middle East. "This is a result of the demand for taking synthetic [drugs]," said Andrew Cunningham, head of policy, crime and markets at the EUDA in Lisbon, Portugal. Cocaine, however, is still Europe's most popular illicit stimulant drug. Imported from Latin American countries like Ecuador and Colombia, about 4.6 million Europeans used cocaine in 2024. The report also shows more Europeans are taking multiple drugs at the same time. As in previous years, so-called polysubstance use is the leading cause of drug deaths in Europe. The findings were published in the European Drug Report 2025 , June 5. Why is synthetic drug use a problem? Synthetic drug use is a major public health concern. Many synthetic substances have very high potency, and because they are relatively new and ever-evolving, scientists have not been able to track the long-term effects. The report shows that Europeans are increasingly using cathinones, either in combination with, or instead of, amphetamines and MDMA. Cathinones, such as 3-MMC (mephedrone), are synthetic stimulants, which have "gained recreational popularity over the past 20 years in Europe," said Jan Ramaekers, a psychopharmacologist at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. Ramaekers said the long-term health effects of cathinones were not well known. Researchers needed to better understand consumption patterns among users: What is a "normal" dose? How does it range? What is lethal? "We need controlled studies with 3-MMC in these 'normal' dose ranges that focus on health risks, but also on potential health benefits," said Ramaekers. Most cathinones were imported from India and China, primarily through the Netherlands. But production has steadily moved to Central Asia and Europe, "influenced by the Ukraine war," said Cunningham. Legal highs: Addictive and dangerous To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Cocaine spreading from cities to smaller towns A significant amount of global cocaine product ends up in Europe. For the seventh year in a row, record quantities of cocaine were seized by EU countries, amounting to 419 tons in 2023, up from 323 tons in 2022. "It's a very significant amount considering global cocaine production is estimated at 2,600 tons per year," he said. But it's not just cocaine: Wastewater analysis in 128 European cities found overall increases in cocaine, but also MDMA and amphetamine use in 2024. The analysis suggests that urban patterns of drug use in big cities may be spreading to smaller towns. Cunningham, whose team tracks the effects of geopolitical situations on Europe's drug market, said most of Europe's cocaine (70%) comes from Colombia. "Global [cocaine] production is up every year since 2016 after the Colombian government made a [peace] deal with FARC," he said. FARC, also known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, were a Marxist militant group, suspected of involvement in illicit drug trade. Large seizures in Europe's ports show drug traffickers continue to smuggle the drug in from the sea. In 2024, Spain reported its largest ever seizure of cocaine (13 tons), concealed in bananas originating in Ecuador. How Europe became addicted to cocaine To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Deadly synthetic opioids on the rise The EUDA report estimates there were 7,500 drug-induced deaths in Europe in 2023, the majority of which were due to opioid drugs. Fake medicines containing synthetic opiates called nitazenes increased in at least 12 European countries in 2024. Some nitazene compounds are even stronger than fentanyl, which itself is 50 times stronger than heroin and has an extremely high risk of overdose. Synthetic opioids have been a major issue in the US for years, but the report shows they are a growing problem on the European drug market, too. "We fear an increase in synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl and nitazenes, on the illegal drug market, particularly as a result of the ban on opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan," said Daniel Deimel, an addiction expert at Nuremberg Technical University, Germany. Fentanyl, America's silent killer To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In recent months, there has been an increase in overdose clusters in Europe, which, Deimel said, may be a result of people mixing synthetic opioids with heroin. "Tests in drug consumption rooms in Germany have shown evidence of fentanyl or nitazene in heroin. If these substances become more common, the number of overdoses and fatal overdoses is likely to increase," said Deimel. Drug seizures in Europe have found nitazenes in fake prescription drugs, mimicking oxycodone or benzodiazepines bought on the illegal drug market. These fake pills have much higher potency and carry a significant risk of drug poisoning and overdose, especially as people do not know the drugs they are taking contain nitazenes. The EUDA report shows authorities seized 10 kilograms of nitazenes powder in 2023 — potentially sufficient to make millions of pills containing enough nitazenes to cause an overdose. Many experts are calling for more drug checking services to detect which substances are circulating on the drug scene. This allows public warnings to be issued when dangerous compounds are found in substances. Edited by: Zulfikar Abbany Source: The EU Drug Report 2025, EUDA, June 5 2025
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
European drug lords shipping MDMA to Latin America in exchange for cocaine, new report finds
European ganglords are smuggling ecstasy into Latin America in exchange for free cocaine, a report has found. Dutch crime syndicates have seized on the growing market, transporting large shipments of the drug via postal services and couriers on commercial flights. Seizure data reported to the World Customs Organization (WCO) found that between 2019 and 2022 alone, at least 1.2 tonnes of ecstasy, also known as MDMA, was trafficked from EU countries to Latin America. Evidence is emerging that Brazilian organised crime groups such as the Primeiro Comando da Capital, a former prison gang and now Latin America's largest criminal network, are offering cocaine for smuggled ecstasy in barter deals. The joint report from the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) and Europol, the EU's law-enforcement wing, found that several such deals took place in 2020 between criminals from the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina and Europe. Investigations from law enforcement agencies in June 2022 uncovered how Dutch criminals had attempted to hide an estimated 500,000 ecstasy tablets in mobile home units, vehicles and compressors destined for ports in Chile. It marks a worrying development in the European drug trade, which has been dominated by cocaine shipments exported from Latin America. The Netherlands is the manufacturing hub for ecstasy, which is produced in industrial-scale laboratories using unregulated chemicals sourced from China. Europe accounted for nearly half (43 per cent) of the global quantity of MDMA seized by police between 2018 and 2022. The European MDMA market is estimated to be worth at least £496 million (€594 million), corresponding to around 72.4 million tablets taken in the EU each year. The price of ecstasy has remained stable over the past decade, allowing it to remain the drug of choice at nightclubs and music festivals, the report said. So-called super strength variants of ecstasy have also emerged in recent years, with up to 170mg of MDMA contained in a single tablet. Social media and encrypted messaging apps have accelerated the sale of drug cocktails known as 'tucibi' and 'pink cocaine', which contain a combination of MDMA, ketamine and psychoactive substances. Catherine De Bolle, Europol's executive director, said: 'Europe is a key player in the synthetic drugs market and a global supplier of MDMA, both producing and trafficking for domestic and international markets. 'Legal business structures are often exploited to obtain chemicals and equipment for drug production, which is characterised by continuous innovation.' Alexis Goosdeel, EUDA's executive director, said: 'Understanding the evolving MDMA market is essential for developing effective responses. 'MDMA remains a popular drug in nightlife and music festival settings, so ecstasy tablets that contain high amounts of MDMA, or unexpected ingredients, pose serious risks.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
