North Devon: 'Unusually strong' batch of heroin sees one dead and eight hospitalised
A man has died and eight others have undergone hospital treatment after an 'unusually strong' batch of heroin was circulated in North Devon.
At around 5pm on Friday 26 April, Devon and Cornwall Police were notified of the drug being used across Westward Ho!, Bideford and Barnstaple.
By midnight that evening, eight people had been treated in hospital after they had believed to have taken the Class A drug.
A ninth person, a man, then died after having taken a substance, believed to be the heroin.
Officers declared a major incident due to the threat posed by the drug. This has now been stood down on 27 April.
Following police investigations, two men and two women have been arrested on suspicion of being involved in the supply of a controlled substance.
All currently remain in police custody.
North and West Devon local policing area commander Superintendent Toby Davies said: “As soon as we were made aware of the issue this substance was likely to cause on Friday evening, we did everything possible with partners to reach out to the drug using community to warn them of potential danger they were facing.
“We continue to work with health partners to warn those who may be substance users to exercise extreme caution. However, we would reassure the community we believe this is now contained.
“If anyone fears they are in danger or are in the company of someone suffering a medical episode, we would ask they contact 999 to seek appropriate medical help.”
What does it mean when a major incident is declared?
The College of Policing defines a major incident as “an event or situation requiring a response under one or more of the emergency services’ major incident plans” and one that “will usually include involving large numbers of people, either directly or indirectly.”
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