Super-strength fake ketamine 50 times more potent arrives in UK for first time

A dangerous new designer drug has been discovered in the UK for the first time.

Super-strength fake ketamine was found when students fell ill after taking a substance they thought was the Class B drug.

Fiona Measham, a criminology professor and director of drug safety testing group The Loop, revealed the findings after samples were brought into a mobile testing centre in Durham.

She said the 2-FDCK substance was 50 per cent stronger than ketamine and lasted up to three times as long – raising fears users could be put at risk.

Ms Measham said: “It was first identified in Europe in 2016. It is the first time that this drug has been identified in the UK.”

The Loop believes the fake drug may also be on sale in Manchester.

The organisation said sales of the fake drug mirror the supply of fentanyl, a stronger chemical copy of heroin which has led to tens of thousands of deaths in the US.

It was reported back in October that at least five Brits have died after they came into contact with skin patches that contained the dangerous painkiller Fentanyl.

The highly addictive drug – which is 50 times stronger then morphine – is available in the UK with a doctor’s prescription.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MRHA) has warned of the danger posed by Fentanyl following a number of concerning cases.