Chilling warning of ‘mass deaths’ in UK from ‘Frankenstein’ drug users ‘are unaware they’re even taking’

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A NEW super-strength drug found increasingly on UK streets is likely to cause “mass deaths” and a US-style opioid crisis, a charity has warned.

Mick Fleming, 58, who runs Church on the Street, said it is already seeing an increase in fatalities possibly related to nitazenes.

The growing popularity of the deadly synthetic opioid could lead to a drug crisis similar to the fentanyl epidemic in the US, picturedGetty

Not known, clear with picture deskThere have been 101 nitazene-related deaths in the UK since the summer[/caption]

The man-made opioids can be up to 500 times stronger than heroin and 40 times more potent than fentanyl – a prolific killer in the US.

“Nobody is buying a bag of nitazenes, that would be like buying a bag of death,” pastor Mick said.

Instead, these opioids are mostly cut with heroin by organised gangs to create even stronger substances, which is why they are often nicknamed “Frankenstein” drugs.

Nitazenes are also being mixed with cocaine and anxiety medication, such as Xanax, that can easily be bought online.

This means people don’t always know they are taking the dangerous substances.

The reformed gangster said his charity has already seen eight opiate-related deaths in 2024, when he usually sees just three annually.

Blaming the situation on nitazenes, Mick told The Mirror: “We don’t have any correct figures yet but we know it is horrendous.

“We’re seeing hardcore drug users overdose and die and that never happens because their bodies are tolerant and they know how to use. 

“They don’t normally die. So when they start dropping dead you know there is something in the gear, and that’s what is happening.”

The pastor previously told the Sun that this summer in the UK will become the “summer of deaths” if “more isn’t done immediately”.

He added: “It’s a dire warning to all drug users but the public as well – you will see someone who has overdosed on the streets or in a toilet, if you haven’t seen it already.”

Britain already suffers thousands of fatal overdoses every year but has not experienced anything like the US opioid epidemic, which has killed 645,000 people between 1999 and 2021.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has recently reported 101 nitazene-related deaths in the UK since the summer.

At least a further 49 cases await further testing.

There have been clusters of deaths in Britsol, Basildon, Coventry and the West Midlands, with nitazenes also in Glasgow.

Consultant in clinical toxicology Dr Mark Pucci said the reported figures are likely to be “just the tip of the iceberg”.

British jails are also facing an influx of deadly drugs, with 15 non-intentional drug deaths confirmed in prisons in England and Wales in 2022, according to the Independent.

AlamyFears are growing that ‘Frankenstein’ drugs called nitazenes will lead to ‘mass deaths’[/caption]

In October, a police raid on a “sophisticated factory” in London recovered approximately 150,000 nitazene tablets – the largest-ever recovered stash of synthetic opioids

Nitazenes were made a Class A drug, like cocaine, ecstasy and heroin, in March after mounting pressure from MPs.

Mick is calling on calling for more places to carry naloxone, which can reverse the effects of opioids and save the life of someone who has overdosed.

“What we really need is for naxolone to be available up and down the country, with people trained up to use it in every local area, in supermarkets, chemists, local shops – and to have the police trained up to use it too,” he explained.

GettyIt’s believed the drugs are mixed with heroin by organised gangs[/caption]

What are nitazenes?

Nitazenes were first developed in the 1950s as an alternative painkiller.

However, the drugs were so strong and addictive that they were never approved for medical use.

They are available in powder, tablet, and liquid form, which means they can be injected, swallowed, or snorted.

The drug can trigger feelings of pain relief, euphoria, relaxation but also fatal respiratory depression.

Nitazenes first made UK news in 2021 when an 18-year-old took a non-fatal overdose.

Since then, the drug has surged in popularity, becoming the newest killer on the streets.

They are also increasingly flooding Britain as desperate dealers scramble to counteract a dramatic reduction in the global supply of heroin, caused by the Taliban cracking down on opium poppy fields in Afghanistan.

Dr Judith Yates – who collates data about drug deaths – warned the BBC that the shortage of heroin could lead to “10 times more [nitazenes] deaths in England this summer” alone.

The NCA believes nitazenes are being produced in illicit labs in China and often enter the UK in the “post”.

In most cases, it is then mixed with heroin by organised gangs, strengthening the drugs being sold on the street.

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