Truth about lethal 'pink cocaine': Narcos warn new designer drug cocktail is cooked up by the sons of El Chapo is flooding US and UK after being linked to Liam Payne's death

Also known arsenic 2C, tusi aliases cocaina rosada alleged 'pink cocaine' has seen a emergence successful publicity and usage successful nan US and UK.

Despite being invented successful nan 70s and having a insignificant beingness successful nan statement segment since nan 90s, nan designer supplier has only precocious enjoyed a burst successful fame driven, successful part, by its alluring pinkish hue. 

Such a surge has travel alongside a number of tragic deaths, pinch experts telling MailOnline nan supplier was 'very vulnerable and unpredictable' arsenic nan look varies truthful much. 

Packets of nan supplier person been reported by authorities successful England, Scotland and Wales, arsenic good arsenic aggregate US states and celebrated Spanish vacation hotspots, pinch distribution linked to the sons of erstwhile Mexican cartel leader El Chapo

But what precisely is pinkish cocaine? How wide it is? And what could beryllium immoderate of nan catastrophic consequences of taking it? Here MailOnline explains.

Despite being called pinkish cocaine nan supplier doesn't really incorporate its namesake drug, astatine slightest astir of time. 

While recipes alteration study suggests it is astir often a operation of nan tranquilizer and hallucinogen ketamine, nan stimulant and psychedelic MDMA, amphetamines for illustration meth.

This is mixed pinch ineligible stimulants, for illustration caffeine, arsenic good arsenic strawberry nutrient dye to springiness its characteristic appealing hue and a saccharine smell.

The concoction described supra is considered a modular pinkish cocaine operation but versions that adhd in LSD, different hallucinogen for illustration bath salts, existent cocaine, and powerful opioids like fentanyl person besides been recorded. 

It's this imaginable roster of narcotics that tin make pinkish cocaine peculiarly vulnerable arsenic users person nary existent thought what they whitethorn beryllium taking and successful what amounts, fundamentally making taking nan supplier a crippled of 'Russian Roulette' according to immoderate experts. 

Pink cocaine's value varies successful depending connected nan recipe. Sometimes it's marketed arsenic a boutique designer supplier moving arsenic overmuch arsenic £80 (about $100) a gram, much than cocaine. 

On different occasions, erstwhile mixes are bulked retired pinch cheaper components, it has been known to spell for arsenic small arsenic £8 ($10) a gram. 

The supplier is chiefly sold successful powder shape but tin besides travel arsenic pills.  

Pink cocaine's history dates backmost to nan 70s erstwhile a compound called 2-C was synthesized by American biochemist Alexander Shulgin.

2-C belongs to a people of narcotics called phenethylamines which nutrient a operation of psychoactive and stimulant affects. 

While it enjoyed immoderate fame arsenic a statement supplier it was only erstwhile large-scale organised crime groups, chiefly successful Latin America, became progressive that 2-C started to modulation to pinkish cocaine.

It was marketed arsenic 'tuci' nan phonetic type of 2-C but these caller versions are a knock-off and don't really incorporate nan original compound.

Instead, cartels utilized much readily disposable supplies of ketamine and MDMA, thought to beryllium chiefly supplied by labs successful China, to mimic nan effects of 2-C.

This has continued arsenic nan supplier started to beryllium pushed to English speaking markets pinch nan sanction pinkish cocaine, fundamentally a trading ploy to piggyback disconnected regular cocaine's popularity. 

A 2023 insubstantial connected pinkish cocaine published in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse said study has shown up to 99 per cent of nan supplies of supplier seized of nan supplier successful Latin American countries didn't incorporate immoderate 2-C.

Pink cocaine distribution varies but US authorities person pinned immoderate of nan proviso entering their state connected nan Mexican Sinaloa Cartel. 

The Sinaloa Cartel is led by nan sons of nan infamous Mexican supplier lord El Chapo, aft nan latter's extradition to nan US successful 2017.

A study from nan US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) flagged pinkish cocaine arsenic a rising interest and noted the Sinaloa Cartel was taking advantage of increasing liking successful nan drug. 

'The Mexican authorities has not disclosed nan seizure of immoderate tusi labs successful Mexico, but nan Sinaloa Cartel is tin of importing ample quantities of ketamine from China to facilitate tusi accumulation successful Mexico,' nan study reads. 

From location pinkish cocaine supplies are distributed via nan cartel's US web to American users, including connected societal media channels specified arsenic Telegram. 

The DEA said nan emergence of pinkish cocaine was besides portion of broader and vulnerable inclination wherever supplies of illicit substances were progressively synthetic, made successful a lab, alternatively than grown from earthy sources for illustration plants.

Such synthetic drugs, tin beryllium galore times much powerful, specified arsenic fentanyl and methamphetamine and person led to 'the astir vulnerable and deadly supplier situation nan United States has ever faced' nan DEA said. 

Pink cocaine has besides appeared successful nan UK, pinch authorities and experts informing it's rising successful popularity. 

Public Health Scotland issued an alert connected nan supplier earlier this year, stating trends showed nan supplier was connected emergence successful immoderate parts of nan country.

It has besides appeared astatine British euphony festivals. The Loop, a Home Office-licensed supplier checking service, issued a informing astir pinkish cocaine backmost successful 2022.

The effects of pinkish cocaine alteration depending connected nan mix, but users person cited feelings of euphoria, alertness and enhanced cognition making it a celebrated statement and stay-at-home drug.

But it besides comes pinch a catalogue of imaginable wellness risks.

These commonly see hallucinations, agitation, seizures and moreover cardiac apprehension but arsenic nan substance tin alteration truthful overmuch nan imaginable database is extensive. 

Addiction to immoderate of nan narcotics that shape pinkish cocaine is besides a concern.  

Lee Fernandes, lead supplier and intoxicant therapist astatine nan backstage addiction curen centres, The UKAT Group, said: 'The dangers of mixing narcotics for illustration ketamine, MDMA and methamphetamine together are profound. 

'Whilst nan personification will initially acquisition utmost euphoria, accrued alertness and enhanced sensory perception, that acquisition is followed by an highly antagonistic cocktail of feelings for illustration paranoia, persistent worry and depression.

'This is what makes pinkish cocaine truthful addictive; because of nan utmost "low" that comes pinch taking it, users typically effort to debar that clang by simply taking much to support them high. 

'But erstwhile that clang comes, which it does, it leaves nan personification successful an highly susceptible state; some physically and astir worryingly, mentally.'

Some US experts person reported pinkish cocaine besides being utilized arsenic day rape supplier owed to its ketamine contented putting users successful a 'K-hole' a disassociated authorities brought connected by nan tranquillizer.   

Ian Hamilton, an addiction master from nan University of York, besides told MailOnline portion of nan threat pinch pinkish cocaine is successful nan name.

Drug users whitethorn presume it really is cocaine and frankincense return it successful amounts they usually would contempt it being a wholly different cocktail of drugs. 

He said this, mixed pinch really overmuch nan look varied batch-to-batch, made it incredibly dangerous. 

'The risks to wellness are wide ranging fixed nan variety successful dose and composition,' he said.

'These could see fatal overdose, breathing problems and bosom problems.'

Mr Hamilton nan grade of pinkish cocaine usage successful nan UK was chartless arsenic location was nary nationalist information postulation connected it, pinch experts alternatively relying connected sporadic reports crossed nan state but it did look to beryllium connected nan rise. 

'Given nan supra it’s difficult to cognize why it’s fame appears to beryllium increasing, it could beryllium this is proviso led alternatively than driven by demand,' he said. 

There person been fears that pinkish cocaine is gaining free publicity owed to being named successful nan Sean 'Diddy' Combs's sex-trafficking investigation.

Diddy's on-off woman Yung Miami 'transported pinkish cocaine for him,' court documents person alleged. 

The suit claims that successful April 2023 Yung Miami brought nan pinkish supplier connected a backstage pitchy from Miami to nan Water Music Festival successful Virginia because 'Sean Combs wanted tuci but Brendan forgot it.'

Pink cocaine has nary circumstantial ineligible classification successful nan UK, but its ingredients of people A aliases B illicit narcotics transportation a imaginable condemnation of 7 years successful situation for possession alone. 

Pink cocaine has been linked to a number of deaths. 

Wannabe vocalist Camila Sterling, 24, was recovered dormant successful a luxury Miami Beach edifice suite pinch nan operation successful her strategy in March past year. 

There person besides been reports from Spain of teenagers dying owed to pinkish cocaine. 

Other fatalities been linked to group taking pinkish cocaine and driving pinch 1 specified lawsuit involving influencer and model Maecee Marie Lathers, 24. 

Lathers was progressive successful car wreck that killed two people, Abraham Molina and Jesus Rubio, connected August 10. 

Police said Lathers was driving pinch a suspended licence erstwhile she sped done a stoplight astatine astir 80mph successful her achromatic Mercedes-Benz and rammed into a achromatic Range Rover and metallic Suzuki 

She blamed nan clang connected taking s 'pink cocaine' and a toxicology study recovered a assortment of narcotics successful her system 

Last nighttime reports besides emerged that nan supplier may besides beryllium linked to nan decease of erstwhile One Direction prima Liam Payne, though these person yet to beryllium confirmed.