Three non-fatal overdoses in Jacksonville are believed to be linked to pink cocaine

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – While the Jacksonville Police Department and the DEA office in Jacksonville have both said their agents have not encountered any suspects possessing or selling pink cocaine, the Florida Poison Control Center office in Jacksonville reported three nonfatal overdoses related to pink cocaine .

According to poison control, all three overdose victims told local emergency room doctors that they were using pink cocaine, also known as 2C, Tussi and Tucibi.

It’s a fairly new and dangerous concoction that has local health officials and federal law enforcement on the alert.

Pink cocaine is popping up in major cities like Miami, New York and Boston.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, pink cocaine is mainly found in nightclubs. Not only is the medicine pink because of the dye added to it, but it also has a sweet smell.

DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Mike Dubet is the head of the DEA office in Jacksonville. He said the pink, sweet-smelling drug is being marketed as a new type of cocaine, but in reality it is far from anything new.

“It’s a combination of several drugs that already exist,” Dubet said.

In some cases, pink cocaine appears to be a combination of cocaine and fentanyl with an addition of food coloring. In other cases, it’s not even cocaine. Instead, it’s a mixture of molly, meth, caffeine and ketamine – or a combination of other opioids and hallucinogens. And like regular cocaine, it can be injected, smoked or snorted.

Dr. Sonya Rashid is an emergency room doctor in Jacksonville. She is also a toxicologist at the Florida Poison Control Center. She said the symptoms and complications of a pink cocaine overdose will vary depending on what the drug is adulterated with.

“If it’s cocaine and ketamine, you’ll see a very hyper-aware state. You see someone with a fast heartbeat, a lot of energy. They will also hallucinate from the effects of the ketamine, and they will get a lot of energy from the cocaine. If it has caffeine in it, you will be in a very hyperstimulated state. If it contains opioids, you may experience respiratory depression and stop breathing,” the doctor said.

Pink cocaine stayed under the radar until last month’s death Liam Paynemember of the pop group One Direction. His death put a huge spotlight on the drug. After Payne fatally fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, suicide was ruled out as the cause of death when a toxicology report revealed he had pink cocaine in his system. The report suggests Payne was under a hallucinogenic effect when he fell to his death.

JSO Commander Jordan Dowling told News4JAX that while patrol officers and the narcotics unit have not come into contact with suspected pink cocaine dealers, JSO monitors other law enforcement agencies and departments investigating pink cocaine cases.

“Everything they’re experiencing nationally will undoubtedly come to Jacksonville and vice versa, so we want to make sure we use the information they’ve gathered across the country and state and make sure we apply our best practices here in Jacksonville. ” said Dowling.