Pink cocaine, also known as tusi, is a recreational drug that has been in the spotlight since it was found in Liam Payne’s system at the time of his death in 2024. With other high-profile mentions including allegations that Sean "Diddy" Combs forced staff to carry it and model Maecee Marie Lathers being under the influence of tusi when she caused a deadly car crash, it’s fair to say this drug has become as infamous as it is dangerous.

Earlier described as the “trending party drug of 2025”, pink cocaine is a niche but fast-growing problem in Britain. In the first half of 2025 alone, police in the UK seized more than double the quantity of pink cocaine seized throughout all of 2024 – with EU monitoring noting that the drug had been found in at least 10 European countries by the end of last year.

Here, we take a look at what ‘tusi’ really is, and why it’s so dangerous.

What is pink cocaine (tusi)?

Not a single drug, but a chemical cocktail

Despite the name, pink cocaine is not a single substance and it rarely contains cocaine. Instead, tusi is a dangerously unpredictable cocktail of substances, dyed pink with food colouring to appeal to party-goers.

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. Though many people assume that pink cocaine contains, or is similar to, drugs like 2C-B and 2C-I because its nickname ‘tuci’ or ‘tusi’ sounds like ‘2C’, samples rarely contain these compounds.

Common components include:

• Ketamine: A dissociative anaesthetic, and the most likely substance you’ll find in pink cocaine.
• MDMA (Ecstasy), cocaine and methamphetamine: Stimulants that heighten energy and euphoria.
• Opioids (e.g., tramadol, oxycodone, and other psychoactive drugs.
• Benzodiazepines: Depressants that increase overdose risk.

NPS (New Psychoactive Substances): Including synthetic hallucinogens and "bath salts"​.

This variability makes predicting effects or safe dosage impossible. Some pink cocaine samples have been found to include the highly addictive opioid fentanyl, while others are packed with caffeine in place of illegal stimulants.

What lab tests show

Drug checking services around the world have identified ketamine and MDMA as the main components typically found in tusi, with ketamine concentrations increasing over time. Ketamine is now by far the most dominant substance in samples being tested. Across 470 samples reviewed by Spanish authorities, ketamine was detected in 93.2%, MDMA in 92.1% and 2C-B in only 3.6%. In samples containing only ketamine and MDMA and no other drug, the proportion of ketamine was found to have risen from 28% in 2020 to 48% in 2024.

Police-seized samples tested by TICTAC in 2025 also mainly contained MDMA and ketamine, with cocaine only present in around 2% of cases.

“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.

Two batches that look identical can contain very different drugs and doses. Because there is no fixed ‘recipe’, tusi is best understood as a marketing label rather than a clear substance category.

"Compared to other drugs we're used to seeing, pink cocaine is more of a concern because of it being such an inconsistent product," notes Dr Oliver Sutcliffe, director of MANchester DRug Analysis and Knowledge Exchange.

How common is pink cocaine around the world?

A niche drug, but growing fast

Having been largely unheard of before 2020, pink cocaine’s “Instagrammable” colouring and celebrity infamy drove a harmful surge in use. Originally most prevalent in Latin America, ketamine-laden ‘tusi’ is now increasingly commonplace across Australia, Europe and the U.S.. Australian federal police seized 133kg of pink cocaine between March and July 2024, while researchers at the Society for the Study of Addiction estimated that 2.7% of New York's nightclub attendees used tusi that year — a snapshot suggesting it's in active circulation in the club world.

Where UK citizens are encountering it

Though pink cocaine is becoming more widespread on the UK’s high streets, particularly in the Liverpool region, it is most prevalent in European nightlife hotspots like Ibiza and in other club and festival settings. In 2024, Spain’s largest ever synthetic drugs bust took place in Ibiza – with ketamine, MDMA, cocaine and the chemical cocktail that is pink cocaine making up the majority of the bust.

Lluc Acero, who runs a drug clinic called Ibiza Calm, stated in an interview with ITV News that "taking pink cocaine is like playing Russian roulette. You never know what you're going to get.”

The effects and side effects of tusi use

Because tusi is typically made from a cocktail of ketamine, MDMA and sometimes other stimulants or psychedelics, users describe a blend of “up” and “out‑of‑it” effects. On the “up” side, there can be euphoria, feeling chatty and confident, a rush of energy – similar to what some people report with MDMA or strong stimulants. On the “out‑of‑it” side, there can be floaty, dream-like detachment, wobbly balance, distorted vision and time, and moments where things feel unreal or distant, which is more in line with ketamine‑type dissociation.

After ingesting, the effects of pink cocaine peak after approximately two hours but can last between four and eight hours. The timing depends on a number of factors, including what’s been mixed together to make the batch of pink cocaine you’re consuming, your age, weight and metabolism, any other substances you have already taken, the purity of the drug, and the dose.

Adverse effects

• The adverse effects of ingesting pink cocaine can be severe, and include:
• Intense nausea and vomiting
• Agitation and paranoia
• Confusion and intrusive thoughts
• Hallucinations
• Breathing difficulties
• Seizures

People using this drug may also experience something called ‘excited delirium ’, where your heart can suddenly stop beating. This is otherwise known as cardiac arrest, which can be fatal if not treated right away.

The wider dangers of taking pink cocaine

Overdose, blackouts and mental health risks

Even with only short-term use, blackouts and memory gaps are a major concern. The combination of a dissociative (ketamine) with stimulants, and often sedatives, can mean someone high on tusi appears awake and active but later cannot piece together what happened while they were intoxicated. This has obvious implications for consent, vulnerability to assault or robbery, and the emotional fallout the next day when memories are missing.

The risk of a psychosis-like experience dramatically increases when combining stimulants and dissociative drugs, and in addition to the adverse effects listed above, it’s important that those thinking of taking this drug are aware of the heightened overdose risk it brings. Symptoms of a pink cocaine overdose can vary due to the unpredictable combination of drugs this substance is made with, but can include:

• Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias)
• A sharp drop or sudden elevation in body temperature
• Seizures
• High blood pressure

With repeated use, we start to see patterns more associated with heavy ketamine and MDMA use: low mood or “crash” days after using, increased anxiety, and difficulty sleeping. Vivid nightmares and ongoing anxiety even after drug use has ended can make it harder for even casual tusi users to function at work or school.

People can become emotionally flat, disconnected or unmotivated in the days or weeks after a heavy run of nights out with tusi in the mix. And because the contents are inconsistent, it’s also harder to learn from experience – one “manageable” night doesn’t guarantee the next one won’t tip into panic, psychosis‑like symptoms or dangerous behaviour.

Dependence risk and ketamine harms

Many people buying pink cocaine don’t realise they’re taking ketamine, a drug now known for causing irreversible damage to a range of the body’s major organs. Bladder and kidney issues are some of the most common outcomes, from pain and bleeding when urinating through to complete bladder dysfunction.

Stimulant use also creates a strain on the heart and liver of pink cocaine users through overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. Pink cocaine, and similar concoctions, also create dependency patterns in the brain as a result of both the chemicals themselves and the social scenarios built around them. These can be impossible to break out of without professional support.

Repeated exposure to ketamine that is mixed with MDMA has also been linked to memory problems and difficulty concentrating, creating ADHD-like executive function issues in individuals with no prior history.

“What we’re dealing with isn’t some low-risk new feature of party culture. Pink cocaine is a very dangerous substance, and a pathway to addiction and long-term physical damage. It’s dressed up in bright colours so that potential users are distracted from the depth of the risk, but it’s a shockingly toxic cocktail.” – Rehabs UK founder, Lester Morse.

Help and advice for pink cocaine use and addiction

At Rehabs UK, we’ve seen how easily experimentation turns into devastation. If you or a loved one are concerned about pink cocaine use or addiction, please get in touch with our treatment advisors who are on hand to answer any questions or queries. Rehabs UK can provide a free assessment, along with guidance on all suitable treatment options to start an individual's recovery journey. Contact us today.