It’s no secret that illicit drugs pose a serious and ongoing threat to the Australian community, and nitazenes, an emerging synthetic opioid group, is the latest drug threat causing harm.
Nitazenes were developed in the 1950s through research into a new opioid analgesic for therapeutic use. However, due to their high potential for overdose, they were never released. Nitazenes have no legitimate use and have recently been linked to a number of fatal and non-fatal overdoses both domestically and internationally. The drug has been found in powder, tablet and liquid form and has been detected in mixtures with (or represented as) other drugs such as oxycodone, heroin, ketamine and synthetic cannabinoids as well as in vaping devices and counterfeit pharmaceutical preparations.
Due to its significant potency, the ACIC assesses that nitazenes are a greater threat to Australia than fentanyl, as even the smallest amount can cause an overdose and a milligram of some nitazenes can be fatal.
While the trafficking of nitazenes is linked to serious and organised crime groups, they do not dominate the supply chain. Supply of these lethal products is also being carried out by motivated individuals and members of drug-using networks, and multiple doses of the drugs can be trafficked in the mail.
Our intelligence collection and analysis of data and material from a variety of partner agencies, is allowing us to build a national picture of the nitazene threat picture and informing decision-making and responses, in close cooperation with our law enforcement, health and policy agency partners.
Having recognised the niche nature of the nitazenes market, developing the intelligence picture is critical. By identifying the relevant market trends and new methodologies being employed by criminal groups and motivated individuals alike, we can recommend responses that create a more challenging operating environment for these criminals and help shape a more coordinated national response.
A multi-faceted approach is needed to address this threat, targeting supply, demand and harm reduction. This will allow us to identify and rapidly respond to similar drug threats that will inevitably arise in the future.