[A] man has died and four others are in a critical condition after taking what is believed to be a form of the drug MDMA over the weekend.
Four men were taken to hospital during the course of Saturday 24 June after taking a drug that is believed to be known locally as “pink champagne” or “magic”.
On Sunday 25 June, another five men and one woman were taken to hospital after also taking what is believed to be the same MDMA based drug.
A 26-year-old man from Rochdale, who was admitted into hospital, has sadly died.
Four men are currently in a critical condition and receiving treatment in intensive care.
One other is in a stable condition in hospital and three people received treatment but have since been released from hospital.
A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of supplying Class A drugs but has since been released under investigation.
The drug is believed to come in crystal form and is highly potent, with many of the people police have spoken to saying that this is the first time they have seen or heard of the drug.
Concerns amongst medical professionals and police are high given the potential for serious harm and even lethal consequences for those who have taken it.
If you think you may have taken the drug or know somebody who has then you need to seek medical attention. If you believe somebody else has taken it and begins to show one of the follow symptoms then get them to a hospital immediately:
- Rigid muscles
- Shallow breathing
- Fast racing pulse
- Hyper-aggression / mania
- Seizure
- Foaming at mouth
- Unconsciousness
Chief Superintendent Neil Evans Territorial Commander for Oldham, Rochdale & Tameside said: “Sadly a man has now died as a result of taking what we believe is an MDMA based drug.”
“His death comes as four others are in a critical condition after a total number of 11 were hospitalised over the weekend after taking the drug.
“This is incredibly worrying and, with our colleagues from the NHS, we are doing all that we can to warn people against taking the drug and help those who may have taken it.
“So please, if you believe that you or somebody you know has taken the drug and begins showing symptoms then get yourselves to the hospital immediately.
“We have a full team working on the police investigation and we are appealing for anyone with any information about where this drug is coming from to get in touch as soon as possible. An urgent line of inquiry is to understand exactly what the substance taken is and steps are being taken in that regard.”
“I would like to reiterate the dangers of taking this or any recreational drug. We have sadly had one person tragically die as a result of taking MDMA this weekend and others are fighting for their lives. We will be supporting their devastated families, I hope we don’t have to support even more families, cases like this are ones that we always hope we don’t have to deal with.”
Anybody with information that could assist the investigation should contact police on 0161 856 9063 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
