TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — A dangerous drug mixture has been discovered in two Central Texas counties.
"Pink Cocaine" was recently found in Travis and Hays counties, according to the Houston Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
What is 'Pink Cocaine' and why is it a concern?
The substance typically comes in a pink powder, often including combinations of several drugs, such as ketamine and MDMA (Ecstasy), cocaine and fentanyl, a well as several others. Despite the name, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration says the drug doesn't usually contain cocaine.
It was once made with psychedelic drug 2C-B, but this is no longer as common.
Sometimes called "tusi", pink cocaine can smell sweet, and it's usually dyed a bright shade to differentiate from other powders.
This "new" psychedelic drug is not consistent from one batch to the next, "and a person does not know how their body will react to it each time," according to the DEA. The drug can become addicting and in some instances, deadly.
How common is the drug?
"Pink Cocaine" is often found at retail level in cities with busy night clubs, such as New York, Miami and Los Angeles.
The "drug cocktail" was recently found in the toxicology report of former One Direction star Liam Payne, who died Oct. 16 after falling out of a hotel balcony in Argentina.