Warning to Brits over 'Russian roulette' party drug pink cocaine

ITV News was given exclusive access as the only UK broadcaster to join police trying to tackle pink cocaine on the streets of Ibiza, as George Hancorn reports

Brits in Ibiza are being warned against using a new emerging party drug called pink cocaine and there are fears the drug could soon grow in popularity in the UK too.

"Taking pink cocaine is like playing Russian roulette. You never know what you're going to get," is the warning from experts on the Balearic party island and that caution isn't unusual.

Lluc Acero runs a drug clinic called Ibiza Calm and explains there's a "big wave" of pink cocaine or, as it's called there, cocaine rosa, in Ibiza this year.

"It's quite in fashion at the moment. It's been made to be quite attractive," he says.

One of the key concerns with pink cocaine (also known as tusi) is that it rarely contains cocaine at all. It's usually a mix of other drugs including MDMA and Ketamine, but increasingly it also contains caffeine, speed and in some cases, fentanyl.

Fentanyl is a strong opioid, that's often used as a painkiller but can be highly addictive.

Ibiza is one of the most popular party destinations for Brits, with roughly one million of us visiting over the 2023 summer season.

There are also fifteen times more visitors to Ibiza in the summer months than at any other time of the year.

"People come to Ibiza because they want to party", warns Lluc.

"You see British people in the middle of the sun at three o'clock in the afternoon. They're quite drunk, they're on drugs, and very high."

And it's the circulation of these drugs that authorities in Ibiza are trying to be tough on.

Lluc Acero runs addiction clinic Ibiza Calm which treats people addicted to drugs including pink cocaine

ITV News was given exclusive access as the only UK broadcaster to spend time with Guardia Civil, Spain's military police, during one of their busiest weeks of the year.

For the second year in a row, the force have brought in officers from all across mainland Spain to assist in a crackdown on drugs and other crimes.

The force explained that the greater the number of tourists in Ibiza, the greater the levels of crimes committed.

We spent time with Guardia Civil, visiting some of Ibiza's most popular areas for British tourists. One of those was Playa d'en Bossa - also known as the 'Bossa strip'. It's home to some of the world's most famous clubs.

In the last few years, police have carried out raids across mainland Spain and Ibiza, to crack down on the drug.

Police told us their aim was to "decrease" the sales of drugs in this area, but how prolific is that in the first place?

ITV News filmed undercover on the Playa d'en Bossa strip

I filmed undercover along the Playa d'en Bossa strip to see how readily available the drug was.

Within 30 seconds on the strip, I was approached by a dealer. Another six dealers approached me in quick succession as I moved up the road.

Prices for the drug ranged from €70 euros per gram up the drug to up to €100. That's between £60-£85 per gram.

But does this just impact Brits overseas, or should we be concerned about pink cocaine back on British soil? UK experts have warned that as drug markets change, the drug could become more widespread.

MANchester DRug Analysis and Knowledge Exchange (MANDRAKE for short) are a group that test narcotics seized on nights out in Manchester. They issue warnings and put out alerts if they find anything of concern.

This is to identify any drugs being sold as something they're not, or to highlight anything that could be more potent that its sold intent.

"Compared to other drugs we're used to seeing, pink cocaine is more of a concern because of it being such an inconsistent product," Dr Oliver Sutcliffe, MANDRAKE's director explains.

"If we see any odd-coloured powder then testing that is a really good first step," he added.

Dr Oliver Sutcliffe from Manchester Metropolitan University explains the inconsistency in pink cocaine products they've tested in their lab

According to information seen by ITV News and published by the Welsh Emerging Drugs & Identification of Novel Substances (WEDINOS) within the last two months pink cocaine has been identified in four different locations across the UK.

Testing found it in Dagenham, Abergale, Southwark and Macclesfield.

These products were given to the service to be tested by a mix of police, club venues and those people using the drug themselves.

The United Nations has already issued their own warning about the drug saying it is "of concern," and several other health bodies around the world, including in Canada, say they're "closely monitoring" it.

Pink cocaine doesn't seem to be on the way out anytime soon in Ibiza and that comes with a warning for the UK, that it might be about to be on the way in.

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