What Is Pink Cocaine?
Pink cocaine, traces of which were found in Liam Payne's body according to reports from Argentinian media, is becoming increasingly prolific, according to leading recreational drug use experts.
The substance, which has a fluorescent pink colour and often contains no cocaine at all, is also known as 'tusi' or 'tuci' and is much cheaper than pure cocaine because of its murky composition. According to the UK Addiction Treatment Centre, pink cocaine is typically a mixture of MDMA (ecstasy), ketamine, and amphetamines, although it is hard to trace exactly what each batch contains. 'Other possible ingredients can be LSD, mescaline, and sometimes opioids like fentanyl,' the organisation notes.
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'Pink cocaine is believed to have originated in Colombia, where it became popular in the club scenes of major cities,' the UKATC states. 'Its spread has been eased by its appeal as a novel party drug that combines the effects of multiple substances, offering a unique and intense high.'
In September, the Drug Enforcement Administration in the US warned that the distribution of pink cocaine was increasing, adding that it was mostly being sold online and via social media. In an assessment of the biggest drug threats facing America, the agency also noted that the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico was increasingly manufacturing and trafficking pink cocaine.
The drug has become more ubiquitous in popular culture, too. When music mogul Sean Combs was arrested in September, law enforcements found a pink powdered substance in his hotel room, according to a prosecutor. Pink cocaine was also named in a lawsuit against Combs as one of his alleged go-to drugs.
Model, Maecee Marie Lathers, who is now facing several charges, is suspected of having taken pink cocaine before she crashed her car into two other vehicles that killed two people in Miami in August.
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