October 23, 2024
Federal authorities are increasingly concerned about the presence of pink cocaine in New York City’s party scene.
Federal authorities have issued a new warning about a popular party drug they’re finding on the streets of New York City.
Pink cocaine, also known as “Tusi” or “Tuci,” is a synthetic drug mixed with white powder and pink food coloring, marketed as a fun party cocktail, DEA agents tell CBS News. This pricey club drug, which often contains no cocaine at all, typically costs between $20 and $100 and is primarily sold online.
“It’s being sold mostly online and through social media apps but being abused in the clubs in New York City,” Drug Enforcement Agency New York Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarantino said.
Authorities are issuing warnings about the drug’s dangers, noting that it can cause amnesia and has been linked to date rape cases.
“It’s ketamine mixed with methamphetamine, ecstasy. It could be mixed with anything,” Bridget Brennan, New York City’s special narcotics prosecutor, said. “It can put people into a ‘k-hole’ where they feel like they’re in a blank space, like they are disassociated from their body, they’re disassociated from their brain, they don’t know what’s going on.”
The drug, which has been linked to a sexual assault and trafficking case involving Sean “Diddy” Combs, is currently being found in high-end party scenes but is expected to spread to other areas soon.
“It’s not going to stay in that space and always be a high-end party drug,” Brennan said.
There are also concerns about the drug being mixed with fentanyl and leading to fatal cases.
“It’s really a very dangerous and deadly market right now,” Brennan said.
Music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jone filed a lawsuit against Combs earlier this year. Jone accused Combs of using Tuci and required his staff to keep it readily available.
“It was required all employees from the butler, the chef to the housekeepers, walk around with a pouch or fanny pack filled with cocaine, GHB, ecstasy, marijuana gummies and Tuci (a pink drug that is a combination of ecstasy and cocaine),” the lawsuit states.
“It was important to have Mr. Combs’ drug of choice immediately ready when he asks for it.”
Concerns about pink cocaine are rising as federal drug enforcement agents report record-high drug overdoses across the city. Recent data shows over 2,600 overdose deaths in 2021 and 3,026 in 2022, with 712 deaths in the first quarter of 2023 alone. Officials are working with the city’s medical examiner’s office to determine if pink cocaine has been linked to any local fatalities.
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