Young woman's death in Thessaloniki sparks warning on unknown synthetic drugs

A 20-year-old woman lost her life after ingesting MDMA at a party in Therma, near Thessaloniki, underscoring the lethal potential of synthetic drugs with unknown ingredients. Γιάννης Καρυδάκος, head of the Drug Enforcement Sub-Division, warned that users are unaware of the exact substances and their ratios, which are created in hidden labs by unidentified manufacturers. When authorities confiscate such items, they are forwarded to the General Chemistry Laboratory of the State for laboratory testing, yet consumers cannot obtain reliable composition data.

He also described the popularity of “pink cocaine,” a non-standardized blend that varies between batches, increasing health risks. Distribution channels include small postal parcels, messaging apps, and darknet markets, with most products originating from countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland and the Czech Republic.