Pink cocaine, also known as “Tusibi” or “El Tusi” is on the rise across Europe. Rather than a dyed form of cocaine, pink cocaine is a cocktail of several different drugs which has become extremely popular as a party drug in Colombia.
The powder is typically a mix of ketamine, and amphetamines or MDMA. The concoction is sometimes even enhanced with hallucinogens such as mescaline.
In Colombia, “Tusi” can contain anything from methamphetamine to LSD, as well as other synthetic stimulants and opiates. Despite its nickname, the drug contains no real cocaine.
"Tusi" or "Tusibi" is a Latinisation of the hallucinogenic substance 2C-B, first discovered in the 70s. Despite the origin of the name, the modern pink substance rarely ever contains 2C-B.
A common sight in Colombia, the pink powder is now turning up on European shores, Belgian newspaper La Dernière Heure reports. Recently, Spanish police arrested a gang suspected of dealing cocaine and “Tusi” in Madrid and Málaga. They had smuggled the drug from Latin America in suitcases packed with drugs. Searches of the suspects' homes turned up eight kilograms of “pink cocaine”.
American media Vice reported that last August, Spanish law enforcement officers turned up 13kg of “Tusi” on the Balearic Island of Ibiza, the largest haul ever found in Europe. Police arrested 12 people, most British, seized €440,000 and confiscated a machine pistol.
On the rise in Europe
The pink substance is becoming an increasingly common sight at European music festivals. According to a UN report on the ketamine trade, “Tusi” was spotted at festivals in the UK, Austria, and Switzerland. In July, a Colombian national, arrested for cocaine smuggling, was found with pink cocaine in his home in Milan, Italy.
Part of the drug's appeal to dealers (and could potentially make it deadly for users) is that there is no set recipe for the substance. Each manufacturer or even street dealer can make his own mix with different proportions of ketamine and amphetamines. The drug can be mixed up in a kitchen with no specialist equipment and sold for a profit.
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The combination of the two active ingredients are set to create a euphoric, drunk feeling. Toxicologists warn that users could also experience psychotic or delusional episodes.
