09 Dec 2024

Pink Cocaine, or Tusi is a recreational drug growing in popularity, particularly in Latin America, Europe, and recently in the U.S.

With recent news reports such as the death of music star Liam Payne. Sex trafficking allegations against Sean "Diddy" Combs and a deadly car crash involving an Instagram model bringing Pink Cocaine into the public eye.

Often marketed as a party drug, Pink Cocaine (Tusi) rarely contains actual cocaine or the psychedelic drug 2C-B, which it was initially marketed as resembling

Instead, Tusi is a dangerously unpredictable cocktail of substances, dyed pink with food colouring to appeal to young party-goers.

“It is called pink cocaine, but it usually doesn’t contain cocaine. But, at the same time, it can because you never really know what’s in it," Maryann Amirshahi, PharmD, MD, MPH, a medical toxicologist and co-medical director of the National Capital Poison Center, told Verywell.

Joseph Palamar, an associate professor of population health at NYU Langone said to CBS News, "A lot of people just think it's this new powder that's going around," Palamar said. "It's a pretty pink powder, and everyone's starting to use it, when it really started increasing was around mid-2023."

What is in Pink Cocaine/Tusi?

Tusi lacks a standardised formula, making its contents unpredictable. Common components include:

The exact composition varies by batch, making it difficult for users to know what they are ingesting, significantly increasing the risks of adverse effects and overdoses.

Nine individuals, including a number of Colombians, were arrested in Spain in 2016 for running two refining labs in the greater Madrid area. It seemed that methamphetamine, cocaine, and ketamine were used to make the substance.

According to a statement from Échele Cabeza, a Colombian drug testing study, Tusi primarily comprised amphetamine, MDMA, and ketamine up to this time. However, by 2017, a list of new psychoactive compounds (NPS) that were becoming more and more harmful started to show up in tusi formulations.

These synthetics—opioids, benzodiazepines, cathinone's, and a variety of other high-risk drugs—now show up often, according to Julián Quintero, a sociologist and researcher at Social Technical Action, a Colombian drug policy NGO. A group that injected fentanyl into its Tusi was even dismantled in 2021.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid responsible for numerous overdose deaths, making the drug even more hazardous. This variability makes predicting effects or safe dosage impossible.

The Effects and Duration of a Pink Cocaine High

People commonly use the drug to experience a sense of openness, sociability, and euphoria.

Users often experience a mixture of ketamine’s sedative, trippy high with the more stimulant buzz of MDMA and caffeine.

Generally, the high peaks within 3 hours but may last up to 8 hours depending on composition. The drug induces excitement and euphoria, often raising sensory awareness.

Adverse effects can include:

  • Hallucinations
  • Anxiety
  • Elevated body temperature
  • Increased heart rate and blood pressure
  • Low blood sodium concentrations
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Seizures
  • Abnormal heart rhythms

Sometimes, people mix regular cocaine with alcohol because they believe it will “balance out” the effects, leading them to drink even more, according to Joseph Palamar, MPH, PhD, an associate professor of population health at NYU Langone Health who researched pink cocaine.

“If someone is desiring that effect from regular cocaine, and somebody hands them ‘pink cocaine’ and it’s more of a ketamine concoction, they’re not going to feel very well,” Palamar said. “Combining a dissociative anaesthetic with alcohol is not a great mix. You’ll probably get very sick to your stomach. Mentally, you’re not going to feel well, either.”

Health Risks and Statistics of Pink Cocaine

The health consequences of Tusi are severe and diverse due to its mixed composition. Reported side effects include:

  • Vomiting, seizures, hallucinations, and paranoia.
  • Severe cardiovascular and respiratory complications from ketamine and stimulants.
  • Increased risks of addiction and psychological dependence.

In the U.S., Poison Control Centres reported five confirmed cases of Tusi overdoses in 2024, all requiring medical intervention, with one suspected death. In Latin America, the drug has been linked to increased incidents of sexual assault and violent crimes at parties.

Cultural and Social Impacts of Pink Cocaine

Tusi's rise mirrors global trends in synthetic drug consumption, especially among younger demographics in nightlife settings. Originating in Latin America around 2012 but gaining popularity in 2018, its appeal is largely aesthetic and tied to a perception of luxury. However, its real impact includes exacerbated health disparities and increased burdens on public health systems.

According to a UN drugs report published in 2022, pink cocaine has been found in the UK, Austria, Switzerland, Canada and south-east Asia.

In America, since 2020, DEA has seized a total of 960 pink powders, 4 exhibits contained 2C-B and 956 exhibits of “other” substances. To put that into perspective, within that same time, DEA has seized 180 million fentanyl pills.

Pink cocaine has been typically found in urban areas with an active nightclub scene like Miami, New York, and Los Angeles. This continues in Europe with main destinations including party islands and cities such as Ibiza, Mykonos and Zakynthos.

In August 2022, police found 13 kilos of what they called “pink cocaine”, likely the largest haul so far of Tusi in Europe, on the island of Ibiza, along with regular cocaine and ketamine, €440,000 (around £380,000 or $460,000) in cash and a submachine gun.

Spanish police announced they had busted seven members of a gang who are alleged to have been involved with distributing cocaine and Tusi in Madrid and Malaga after smuggling it in drug-filled suitcases by air from Latin America.

“Contrary to the belief that “pink cocaine” is a drug of the elites, used by models and rich people, this product is being used by people from every level,” said Claudio Vidal, a director at Energy Control in an interview with Vice. “Although at the beginning it was found mainly in big cities like Madrid or Barcelona, or touristic locations like Ibiza, Costa del Sol, today it has spread to other cities.”

Legal and Safety Concerns

Due to its varying contents, Tusi often bypasses traditional drug tests, complicating law enforcement and public health responses. Harm reduction advocates strongly recommend testing substances before use and warn against its unpredictable effects​.

Frank Tarantino, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Agency in New York, was forced to provide CBS News New York an urgent warning because of the unknowns surrounding the chemical and the high.

According to Tarantino, 

"When individuals are looking for pink cocaine and believe they are purchasing it, they are actually purchasing a substance that is laced with fentanyl and they are unaware of it and they are overdosing and dying."

In the UK, drug-checking services at festivals and clubs have increased in popularity such as ‘The Loop.’ These services are to help users identify potentially harmful substances before consumption preventing potential overdose or ingestion of unwanted drugs.

With the rise of social media Pink Cocaine has been easy for people to get their hands on.

In a recent BBC documentary focusing on the party scene in Ibiza, they highlight the fact that drug dealers will contact those using hashtags on Instagram.

Zara said: "When I've posted that I'm in Ibiza in the past I will get 10 messages saying if I need drugs to WhatsApp them."

Julian Quintero, told VICE World News. “The best party places and the million-peso prostitutes at the most ostentatious parties are not in the hands of the traditional adult “patrons” of the drug trade, but of daring youngsters who have learned to ‘cook’ Tusi in their own kitchens.” Quintero said, with the help of Tusi, neo-drug trafficker culture has “taken the monopoly of money and beautiful women away from the cocaine traffickers”.

Where to seek help or advice for Pink Cocaine use?

If you or a loved one are concerned about pink cocaine use or addiction please get in touch with our fully-trained Treatment Advisors who are on hand to answer any questions or queries. Rehabs UK can provide a free assessment and guidance when looking at all suitable treatment options to start an individual's recovery journey. Contact us today!