Urgent warning after drug stronger than heroin found in ‘drug’ in Glasgow

COUNTERFEIT pills containing a deadly drug blamed for hundreds of deaths have been found in Scotland.

Police Scotland says it has seized counterfeit prescription drugs containing synthetic opioid nitazene, which is stronger than heroin and fentanyl.

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It is pegged at almost 300 Great Britain fatalities in just one year.

Data collected from testing dozens of recovered tablets reveals the presence of the deadly chemical on the streets of GlasgowClydebank and Dumbarton.

A Police Scotland A spokesperson said: “We are committed to disrupting organized crime in all its forms, including its supply chain medications in our communities.

“We cannot tackle this alone and we rely on the public’s support to help us build intelligence on any drug-related issues.

“We will continue to do that work in partnership to reduce substance harm and explore solutions to address the significant number of drug deaths in the world Scotland.”

Nitazenes were found in white and blue pills sold as diazepam.

It is believed that most of it was first purchased from unreliable online pharmacies.

Nitazenes contributed to at least 65 deaths in Scotland between June last year and May.

The NHS says those who have bought medicines online or on the street should have them checked by the national drug control agency WEDINOS.

Experts there say fake medicines look like “the same kind of pack you might get at the high street pharmacy”.

An NHS spokesperson said: “We have taken part in a national campaign to make people using synthetic opiates, and those who work with them, aware of potential risks.

“We continue to raise awareness about these medications and encourage people to carry naloxone for use in a overdose situation.”

We told how deaths from ‘Frankenstein opioids’ have soared – six months after a warning Scotland could be overrun.

Graeme Biggar, Director General of the National Crime Agency, warned that nitazenes are in Danger of becoming “the leading cause” of drug deaths in Scotland.

He explained: “The fentanyl that has ravaged the US, killing 75,000 last year, has not affected Britain in the same way.

“We had a small peak in 2017.

“We clamped really hard and it disappeared.

“But that’s just one form of synthetic opioid.

“There are many more – and the one that has hit Britain is nitasenes.”