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Three non-fatal overdoses in Jacksonville believed to be linked to pink cocaine

One Direction star Liam Payne’s death sheds light on the drug

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Although Jacksonville police and the Jacksonville DEA office have both said their officers have not come across any suspects possessing or selling pink cocaine, the Florida Poison Control Centers Jacksonville office reported three non-fatal overdoses related to pink cocaine.

According to poison control, all three of the overdose victims told local emergency room doctors they took pink cocaine which also goes by the name 2C, Tussi, and Tucibi.

It’s a fairly new and dangerous concoction that has local health officials and federal law enforcement officers sounding the alarm.

Pink cocaine has been popping up in major cities like Miami, New York, and Boston.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, pink cocaine has mainly been found in nightclub settings. Not only is the drug pink because of the food coloring that has been added to it, but it also has a sweet smell.

DEA Assistant Special Agent Mike Dubet is the head of the Jacksonville DEA office. He said the rose-colored sweet-smelling drug is marketed as a new type of cocaine, but in reality, it’s far from something new.

“It’s a combination of different drugs that already exist,” Dubet said.

In some cases, pink cocaine turns out to be a combination of cocaine and fentanyl with an addition of food coloring. In other cases, it’s not even cocaine. Instead, it’s a mixture of molly, meth, caffeine, and ketamine – or a combination of other opioids and hallucinogens. And like regular cocaine, it can be injected, smoked, or snorted.

Dr. Sonya Rashid is a Jacksonville emergency room physician. She’s also a Florida Poison Control Center toxicologist. She said pink cocaine overdose symptoms and complications will vary based on what the drug was cut with.

“If it’s cocaine and ketamine, you will see a very hyper-aware state. You will see someone with a fast heart rate, a lot of energy. They will also be hallucinating because of the effects of the ketamine, and they will have a lot of energy from the cocaine. If there is caffeine in it, you’ll have a very hyper-stimulated state. If there are opioids in it, you could potentially go into respiratory depression and stop breathing,” said the doctor.

Pink cocaine was under the radar until last month’s death of Liam Payne, a member of the pop group One Direction. His death led to an enormous spotlight on the drug. After Payne fatally fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, suicide was ruled out as a manner of death when a toxicology report revealed he had pink cocaine in his system. The report suggests Payne was under a hallucinogenic when he fell to his death.

JSO commander Jordan Dowling told News4JAX that even though patrol officers and the narcotics unit have not come in contact with suspected pink cocaine dealers, JSO is monitoring other law enforcement agencies and departments that are investigating pink cocaine cases.

“Anything they’re experiencing nationwide is bound to come to Jacksonville and vice versa so we want to make sure we’re using the intelligence they’ve gathered along the country and state and make sure we’re employing our best practices here in Jacksonville,” Dowling said.


About the Author
Erik Avanier headshot

Award-winning broadcast and multimedia journalist with 20 years experience.

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