HSE has issued an “extreme risk” drug warning in Cork following several overdoses.
It follows a warning last month that 40 drug related overdoses were reported to the HSE in a 36-hour period.
A strong synthetic opioid has been found in powder being sold as heroin following recent serious overdoses in Cork city.
The HSE is asking people to be extra cautious and to always carry naloxone. The advice is not buy new types of drugs, new batches or from new sources.
The opioid at the centre of the warning is called Nitazene, which can be found in pills or powder.
It has been described as a “Frankenstein opioid” and is said to be 20 times stronger than fentanyl and up to 100 times stronger than morphine.
