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It’s hot pink and smells sweet, but pink cocaine can be deadly

Often called Tusi on the streets, the recreational drug is typically a ketamine concoction and sometimes contains opioids, meth, MDA, bath salts or caffeine.

HOUSTON — The Houston division of the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a warning Wednesday about the dangers of a recreational drug called pink cocaine.

They're seeing an uptick in cases in Southeast Texas and are trying to raise awareness, including the Greater Houston area. 

"The public needs to understrand that the drug landscape has changed with the introduction of fentanyl and synthetics. Every dose is potentially a lethal dose," Brian Leardo with the DEA's Houston division warned.

Pink cocaine also made headlines recently when several media outlets reported it was found in the system of One Direction star Liam Payne after his recent fatal fall from a balcony in Buenos Aires. 

What is pink cocaine?

The name of the hallucinogenic "designer drug" causes confusion because it doesn't usually contain cocaine. Often called Tusi on the streets, the recreational drug is typically a cocktail of illegal drugs. The DEA says batches tested in its laboratories contained various combinations, including:

  • Ketamine and MDMA
  • Methamphetamine, ketamine, and MDMA
  • Cocaine and fentanyl
  • Fentanyl and xylazine

Bath salts, opioids and caffeine have also been found. 

It's pink thanks to food coloring, dye or colored baking powder and may have a sweet smell, according to the DEA.

Is pink cocaine dangerous?

Since pink cocaine is a mixture of several different substances, every batch is different and users don't know how their body will react to it each time, the DEA warns. The only commonality of pink cocaine is its bright pink coloring.

Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic approved for use during surgery but in recent years it has been used recreationally and as a treatment for depression, anxiety, and pain. It can cause hallucinations and can impact breathing and the heart.

“Ketamine is not a fun drug to most people," Palamar said. "It kind of puts you in your own little world and things tend to feel very alien when you’re on it, especially in large doses.”

Someone who's drunk at a party and thinks cocaine might counter alcohol's effects is going to be unpleasantly surprised by pink cocaine that's actually mostly ketamine, he said.

“If you’ve been drinking, it’s going to make you sick to your stomach and the dissociative effects are not going to be very pleasant,” he said.

In May, the U.S. Coast Guard reported seizing pink cocaine among other drugs off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America.

“That was the first time that I heard of large batches being imported into the U.S. as tusi," Palamar said. It could just as easily be made by drug dealers in the United States, who mix their own, he said.

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