Police seize killer drug

A DEADLY synthetic drug 10,000 times more potent than morphine has been discovered in Queensland for the first time.

The drug carfentanyl, which has been blamed for killing thousands of people worldwide, was yesterday discovered at a Brisbane mail centre, raising fears it could have made its way on to the Gold Coast party scene.

“Make no mistake, these are not party drugs. These are dangerous drugs and it’s not a matter of if it will kill you. This drug will kill you,” Superintendent Jon Wacker of the QPS Drug and Serious Crime Group said.

The drug, which is designed to tranquilise elephants, is so dangerous just a 0.002mg dose is said to be enough to kill people.

In the US, Canada and Europe the drug is often used to cut heroin because it is cheaply available.

And there are concerns from medical experts the drug may have been mixed with MDMA or other party drugs in Australia.

“Drug users have been told this is MDMA or ecstasy or other substances,” Queensland Clinical Forensic Medicine Unit director Dr Adam Griffin said.

“It is cheap to purchase by drug sellers and market it as anything they wish.”

Dr Griffin said once taken the drug impaired breathing, caused unconsciousness, a loss of blood pressure and then death in a short period of time.

Det Supt Wacker would not say how large the amount detected by Australian Border Force was or where the package it was discovered in came from.

However, he urged the public to be on high alert.

“The drug is based on fentanyl, but is significantly more potent,” Det Supt Wacker said.

“A small dose has the capacity to kill.

“It is unclear how it would be marketed here, whether sold in its pure form or mixed with other drugs and sold as the latest hook.”

The Brisbane discovery comes after the drug was detected in Sydney in December last year.