Victoria’s health authorities have issued an urgent warning after cocaine sold in Melbourne was found to contain a potentially deadly synthetic opioid.
On Tuesday, the Health Department warned there had been “serious harms” in the capital city associated with protonitazene – an extremely potent depressant more than 100 times more potent than heroin.
It warned the opioid had been found being sold as cocaine in a white powder.
“Cocaine and protonitazene are very different substances,” the department said.