Dad died after taking 'legal high' bought online

A father was killed by a new legal high found for the first time in Britain - and an inquest heard it was five times stronger than heroin.

Dad-of-three Thaker Hafid, 37, was found dead by his wife after trying the legal high bought online from China.

He collapsed in the study after experimenting with the white powder "designer drug" delivered to his home in Cardiff.

The hearing was told it was analysed as acetyl fentanyl - described as having the same effect as morphine and heroin.

Toxicologist Dr Simon Elliott told the inquest in Cardiff:

Mr Hafid's death is thought to be the first in Britain connected with the drug acetyl fentanyl.

His wife Nam went to check on her husband who had been sleeping in the study of their home in Fairwater area of the city in February. She discovered him lying face down on the floor.

Emergency services were called and Mr Hafid was pronounced dead by paramedics.

Dr Elliott said: "There is a very strong chance people will overdose from using this particular drug and there hasn't been enough deaths worldwide to bring it to the attention of the authorities. The more people know about this drug the safer they will be."

The inquest in Cardiff heard Mr Hafid had taken heroin for two years but was trying to get clean. He bought the legal high online in a bid to wean himself off the drug.

Mrs Hafid said: "He loved his family dearly. He wanted to stop."

A post mortem revealed there were no natural cause to his death and that he was killed by the "toxic effects of a drug cocktail" found in his blood.

Senior Coroner Andrew Barkley recorded a narrative conclusion that Mr Hafid's death was drug related.