Health Directorate warns of surge in potent heroin overdoses in Southeast Norway

The Norwegian Health Directorate has warned that a highly potent form of heroin, described as a brownish powder, is driving a rise in overdoses and deaths across Southeast Norway, with at least 20 incidents confirmed so far. An unusually high number of cases were first identified in Arendal, prompting laboratory analysis, and similar reports have emerged from Oslo and Kongsvinger. provisional statistics for 2025 list 283 overdose deaths, a figure that is likely to increase to roughly 310 once final counts are released.

To combat the threat, the Directorate introduced a free, anonymous alert service, overdosefare.no, in 2026; the system has logged 139 submissions since mid-January, 54 of them anonymous. Health officials urge users to share information, adopt safer consumption practices, keep naloxone on hand, and call emergency services if needed. The warning reflects broader concerns about heroin being mixed with ultra-potent synthetic opioids such as nitazenes, which have caused fatal spikes elsewhere in Europe.