Nasar Mahamood Ali had been unaware he was taking heroin which contained Nitazine – a drug which has been dubbed ‘Frankenstein opioids’ that has been flooding Britain’s streets this year – a coroner ruled.
Mr Ali – who had a background of divorce, depression and loss of his job and home – was found dead at his supported living accommodation on Park Street on January 12.
Hannah Godfrey, the Area Coroner for Berkshire, wrote in an inquest in writing that Mr Ali was discovered after a friend raised the alarm because the deceased had not been to collect his methadone prescription, which is used to help recovering heroin addicts, on January 10 and nobody had been able to contact him since.
Ms Godfrey wrote: “His room was locked from the inside and entry had to be forced. He was found crouched at the end of his bed, with drug using paraphernalia including a shoelace tied round his arm, a spoon in his hand and a syringe containing a liquid.
“Sadly his body was already cold and stiff, indicating that there was no opportunity for saving his life, and that he had probably passed hours earlier.”
A post mortem examination discovered protonitazene in Mr Ali’s system, alongside heroin, cocaine, methadone and alcohol.
“There is limited scientific literature available regarding the potential effects from the use of protonitazene”, Ms Godfrey wrote. “However, depressed respiration, respiratory failure and coma have been reported in relation to the use of benzimidazole opioids.
“Protonitazene is highly potent and its presence at any level may pose a risk of toxicity arising, notably in combination with other drugs.
“After Mr Ali’s death a drug alert warning was published around Slough warning users of street heroin to take extreme caution as a recent fatality indicated there was a batch in circulation that contained Nitazine, which is an extremely dangerous synthetic opiate.
“The warning further stated that the batch was thought to be similar in appearance to the usual supply.”
Ms Godfrey concluded Mr Ali’s death was ‘drug related’, stating there did not appear to be any deliberate intention by the deceased to end his life.
“The inclusion of protonitazene, a highly potent synthetic opioid was likely due to contamination of one of the illicit drugs Mr Ali had been deliberately injecting, and therefore he was likely unaware that he was taking it, particularly as the appearance of his heroin was unlikely to be noticeably different.”