Ten deaths in city may be drug-related, say police

That is one line of inquiry being pursued by officers investigating the fatalities, which have occurred since December 17.

It has been claimed that an unusually strong batch of Xanax – a drug used in the management of anxiety disorders – is being sold by dealers in Belfast and may have been a contributing factor in a number of the deaths. But that hasn’t been confirmed by police.

“While the cause of death is not definitively known in any of these 10 deaths in Northern Ireland since December 17, 2018, the use of illicit drugs along with prescription drugs may be a factor,” Detective Superintendent Bobby Singleton explained.

“The vast majority of drug related deaths in Northern Ireland occur when someone has taken more than one substance including alcohol.”

Stressing that police are “committed to restricting the availability of illicit drugs in our communities and have had significant success throughout 2018”, Det Supt Singleton continued: “Our latest provisional statistics show that in the 12 months to 30 September 2018, police made 6,771 drug seizures in Northern Ireland, an increase of 8.9% on the 6,220 seizure incidents recorded in the previous 12 months.

“These sustained high levels of drug seizure incidents reflect the proactive work by the PSNI in response to concerns about drugs within our communities.

“We also made 3,310 drug-related arrests within the same time period, an increase of 469 (16.5%) on the previous year.

“If you see or know of anyone who is dealing drugs in your local area, contact your local police on 101 or call 999 in an emergency. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 and pass on any details that you may have.”

While highlighting the PSNI’s crackdown on drug dealers, Det Supt Singleton acknowledged that drugs remain a major problem on the city’s streets.

“The reality is that as long as there is demand there will be drugs on our streets. That’s why we also work very closely with the Department of Health and the Public Health Agency (PHA) to co-ordinate harm reduction activity. The Public Health Agency frequently issues alerts about the dangers of drugs to those who work closest with those affected by drug and alcohol misuse, through the Drug and Alcohol Monitoring and Information System (DAMIS),” he added.

The Public Health Agency’s drug and alcohol lead Michael Owen stressed that “all drugs, whether illegal drugs or prescription medication, carry risks.”

“Mixing different types of drugs, or mixing alcohol and drugs, including prescription medication, can be dangerous and should be avoided. It can increase the toxicity of already potentially harmful substances, and increases the risk of serious harm and death,” he warned.

“An alert related to recent media reports linking the misuse of illegal and prescription drugs, particularly benzodiazepines, with suspected drug overdoses over recent week has been issued to those in the community who work closest with drug users highlighting these reported incidents and offering harm reduction advice that can be communicated to clients in drugs services,” he added.

• Support to help people who use drugs reduce their risks and access other support services or treatment can be accessed via:

Belfast area (Belfast Drug Outreach Team) 028 9504 7301

Northern area (Extern) 028 2565 4012

Southern area (Extern) 074 2343 2110

South Eastern area (Simon Community) 074 3575 4307/074 3575 4302

Western area:

Londonderry area (Depaul) 028 7136 5259

Fermanagh and Omagh areas (Arc Healthy Living Centre) 028 6862 8741

Limavady area (First Housing Aid and Support Services) 028 7137 1849

The PSNI has urged anyone with information about incidents where drug use has led to adverse effects on the user, and where that information could be shared to help reduce the risks to others, to contact [email protected]