Crime solving agency sounds warning over 'rising threat' of synthetic opioid drugs in 2024
Gordon Deegan
The State agency tasked with identifying illicit drugs has sounded a warning over “the rising threat” of synthetic opioid drugs, after identifying 10 new drug substances or unusual presentations of drugs last year.
In the 2024 annual report for Forensic Science Ireland (FSI), Acting Director General, Dr Geraldine O’Donnell, pointed out that Section 15A drug dealing cases - which concern large drug consignment seizures - have increased sevenfold from 45 in 2020 to 318 in 2024.
Dr O’Donnell stated that between 2022 and 2023, FSI identified several Nitazene (synthetic opioids) variants in small seizures of tablets and powders.
Dr O’Donnell added: “However, 2024 marked a significant shift, with two of the largest Nitazene seizures recorded not only in Ireland but across Europe."
Some of the 10 new illicit drugs of unusual presentation of drugs identified by the FSI last year include Protonitazene, which is a synthetic opioid that “is significantly more potent than heroin”.
The report states that in early 2024, FSI received an urgent out-of-hours request from An Garda Síochána to analyse several packages of brown powder that were identified as 1.9kg of protonitazene, mixed with caffeine and paracetamol.
The report states that “this dangerous substance was intended for distribution in the heroin market but was fortunately intercepted by An Garda Síochána.”
FSI staff also detected for the first time an unusual presentation referred to a ‘Tuci’ which comprises 125 grams of a pink powder containing ketamine, amphetamine, MDMA and caffeine.
The report explains that Nitazenes were developed as analgesics in the 1950s, but these highly potent synthetic opioids “were never marketed due to overdose risk”.
Cannabis or edibles made up 44 per cent of all drugs analysed in 2024, with powder accounting for 38 per cent of cases.
The number of overall cases submitted by FSI by An Garda Siochana and other State agencies last year totalled 25,170 which included 10,595 drug and toxicology cases.
The report states: “Case submissions into FSI are remaining in line with those for the last two years and are significantly in excess of 2019 figures.”
The report states that FSI has reported on 41 suspicious death investigations in 2024 - a 17 per cent increase on the 2023 figure of 35.
The report states that 32 suspects in suspicious death investigations were male, making up 86 per cent of all suspects, while 33 - 80 per cent of suspicious death victims were male, with eight victims, or 20 per cent being female.
Last year, FSI staff provided expert independent testimony on 110 occasions before the courts.
The report states that DNA evidence from FSI “was used extensively in Garda investigations and court cases in many murders, serious assaults, sexual assaults, drug seizures and other offences associated with gangland and organised crime throughout 2024”.
In addition, FSI assisted in the identification of 32 missing persons in 2024 through DNA.
In one case study, the report states that a male was last seen at Courtown Pier in Wexford in November 2023, and a DNA profile was obtained from his inhaler and was forwarded to Interpol.
“The DNA profile from an Unidentified Human Remains found in Wales was sent to FSI via Interpol and a match was obtained when compared to the inhaler.”
The number of profiles on the National DNA Database system last year increased by 8,861 to 83,489.
Dr O'Donnell states that “its success is evidenced by the reality that each time a crime stain is added to the database, there is a one in two chance that it will match with a person's profile on the database”.
The report states that 997 cases were aided during 2024 by the national DNA database, arising from 766 hits on the database.
