In a recent drug bust on the Cape Flats, Cape Town police confiscated a substance known as ‘pink cocaine,’ or tusi, signalling a new trend in the city’s drug scene that reportedly targets affluent users.
According to Weekend Argus, the discovery followed a tip-off from Grassy Park residents, leading to a warranted search and the confiscation of 10 packets of a bright pink powder.
Identified as tusi, this drug is believed to have originated in Spain, marking its first appearance in Cape Town.
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Colonel Dawood Laing, the commander of Grassy Park Police Station, said police executed the search warrant and apprehended the 28-year-old suspect, who was found with 10 sachets of the substance.
Sold at R800 to R1 000 per packet, tusi appears to be aimed at wealthier cocaine users, offering a more potent high. Its distinct colour and composition may render it less recognisable to law enforcement, posing a new challenge in drug detection.
‘We believe this is targeted at higher-income drug users who already use cocaine. This is a more potent form so they can reach their highs quicker. Also, with the difference in colour and being largely unknown by police officers, it could easily be overlooked and not recognised as a drug, we know,’ he said.
The apprehended suspect, unfamiliar to local authorities, faces drug dealing charges and a stringent opposition to bail. The police have intensified efforts to trace the drug’s origins and supply chain.
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Ashley Potts, formerly of the Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre, highlighted the dangers of tusi, known internationally as tucibi.
He was unaware of its use in South Africa but warned that it could be lethal.
‘It is a fentanyl-based drug and is laced with other things such as bath salts, ecstasy, hallucinogens and opioids, with the last being what causes the dependency or addiction to the drug. We have not yet heard of this being used locally and it is very concerning,’ he explained.
Authorities stress the importance of thorough lab analysis to determine the exact composition of tusi.
Community Safety MEC Reagan Allen applauded the arrest.
‘I welcome the arrest on a charge of dealing in drugs. The negative effects of the illicit drug trade are well known. We have been plagued by drugs that only tear apart families and communities and ensnare too many of our people in the bonds of addiction,’ he said.
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Picture: Kindel Media