A batch of cocaine laced with deadly substance is circulating in Wales

A Welsh police force has warned people over a batch of cocaine thought to have been laced with a drug around 50 times more powerful than heroin. Dyfed-Powys Police — which covers Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys — has warned drug users to "take extra care" over the bank holiday weekend following reports of a "particularly harmful" batch of Class A drug cocaine.

"We believe a batch of drugs being sold as cocaine has been laced with the opiate fentanyl, which is a synthetic drug considered to be 50 times more potent than heroin," said the force in a statement. "Its strength means that even small doses can be deadly. We appeal to drug users to seek medical attention immediately if they become unwell. Please share this information with anyone you believe could come into contact with these drugs."

The National Crime Agency says fentanyl emerged in the UK in late 2016 and shortly afterwards was linked to a series of deaths in the north-east of England. It can be prescribed as an extremely strong painkiller, but when dealt illegally it is treated as a Class A substance. Fentanyl is more commonly abused in the US, where synthetic opioids are involved in nearly 70% of fatal overdoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. High-profile Americans whose deaths were related to fentanyl-laced drugs include rapper Mac Miller and The Wire actor Michael K Williams.

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