A coroner is warning that ‘everybody’ should be worried about synthetic opioids that are thousands of times more dangerous than morphine.
His comments come a few weeks after the inquest hearing of Portadown man Jay Woolsey.
The 33-year-old, died at this home in August 2024. It was later determined his death was due to a drug called Nitazene, which is 20 times more potent than the likes of fentanyl.
Coroner McCrisken has worked on ‘difficult’ cases like Jay Woolseys, where Nitazenes were involved. He told the Irish News Nitazenes are much more potent than previously reported.
He said: “They are much stronger... They are hundreds of times more potent; some material suggests thousands.”
The synthetic opioid is relatively new to the North’s drug market. The coroner added: “The first death (involving nitazenes) was a man in Carrickfergus in December 2023. There have been 10 more deaths since then. Polydrug misuse is always unknown. ‘The unknown’ doesn’t describe it properly; you’re into a whole other realm.
“When I started this job ten years ago it was tramadol, then cocaine, then fentanyl, oxycodone. Now it’s nitazenes. Five years ago, no one had heard of nitazenes, so what will it be in five years time?
“The issue with this synthetic opioid, is that it is thousands of times stronger. You see drugs of that strength, being so widely available, it shouldn’t just be a concern to me, it should be a concern for every single person in this country.”
The Irish News understands the drug is often obtained through online markets. People explore them on the dark web and social media, where ads promote nitazenes.
Purchases are often made with cryptocurrency, and deliveries arrive by post. In one case, a shipment was disguised as dog food.
McCrisken emphasised the heartbreak polydrug use (the use of two or more drugs in combination) creates for families.
He said: “Families had to deal with the loss… The shock that they had these strong drugs in their system, sometimes parents have an idea that the person had issues with drugs, but in at least one of these inquests I worked on, they really had no idea that this individual was buying drugs online and taking them.”
Across the water, there were 195 deaths involving Nitazenes registered in 2024, almost four times higher than the number registered in 2023.
Kevin Bailey, the Public Health Agency’s Joint Regional Lead for Substance Use, said he was alarmed when the drug first appeared in Northern Ireland. He told The Irish News: “It is particularly dangerous. We have seen heroin being cut with nitazene, which caused more overdoses than expected. We were particularly alarmed.
“Our biggest issue is polysubstance abuse, so nitazenes are not the main concern. There has been an increase in England… However, there is always an opportunity that if something happens across these islands, that it could happen in here. We have seen it with cocaine, heroin, and nitazene in the past.”
Nitazene test strips, introduced in 2021, let drug users check for contamination. The PHA said thankfully some who tested positive chose not to take the drugs, potentially avoiding harm.
In response to Nitazenes, Police stressed the harm caused by drugs and warned that using illegal substances is a crime. The PSNI vowed to keep cracking down on drug supply and tracking emerging trends.
Detective Chief Superintendent Emma Neill, who heads the PSNI’s Organised Crime Branch, said: “Potency increases the risk of overdose, with many unaware of the presence of nitazenes within their supply.
“It may sound like a cliché but, if you take illicit drugs, you’re putting your life in your hands each time.
Project ‘HOUSEBUILDER’ is a National Crime Agency-led approach to coordinate the response to the increased threat posed by nitazenes.
If this content impacted you in anyway, there is more information and help at: https://drugsandalcoholni.info/.
