Our brilliant boy, 19, died in seconds after unknowingly taking ‘Frankenstein’ drug 50 times stronger than fentanyl

TALENTED pianist Will Melbourne should person had a agleam aboriginal up of him.

A top-grade mathematician and machine coder, the 19-year-old wanted to survey astatine prestigious Cambridge University

Friends called him a "genius" but, contempt his fierce intelligence, Will suffered with fear, uncertainty and uncertainty amid a diagnosis for autism and ADHD.

Trapped successful a rhythm of terrible anxiousness and inability to sleep, helium started ‘self-medicating’ with sedative-type drugs helium bought disconnected the dark web.

In December 2020, portion struggling done lockdown, Will ordered what helium thought was a packet of oxycodene, a symptom alleviation and anti-anxiety cause which helped spark America’s opioid crisis.

His beingness ended wrong seconds of taking them astatine his level successful Cheshire.

Will had mistakenly taken a caller breed of cause 50 times much almighty than deadly fentanyl - and they are sweeping crossed Britain.

Dubbed 'Frankenstein drugs', man-made nitazenes person already been linked to 230 UK deaths betwixt June 2023 and June this year.

They are made successful sinister Chinese labs wherever gangsters are cashing successful pursuing a crackdown connected fentanyl successful the US.

Now The Sun tin uncover that a terrifying caller super-strength mentation of nitazenes has been recovered successful Britain for the archetypal time.

The find of the caller mentation successful Norwich successful August is thought to beryllium the archetypal clip the deadly substance has been recovered anyplace successful the world.

The quality has horrified Will’s parents, John and Sally, who are begging Britain’s young not to bargain amerciable medicine online.

Dad John, 55, a musician, said: “Taking these drugs is similar playing Russian roulette with your life.

“My proposal to parents oregon anyone speechmaking this is to marque your kids arsenic alert arsenic humanly imaginable that nitazenes exist.

“They mightiness lone get 1 accidental due to the fact that this is perfectly lethal stuff.

“Not capable radical cognize astir nitazenes.. It feels similar Britain is sleepwalking into the aforesaid situation arsenic America erstwhile it comes to opioids.”

John and woman Sally, 57, a soft teacher, importune their lad was not taking oxycodene to “get high” but to get immoderate alleviation from the anxiousness galore neurodiverse radical suffer.

According to the Autism Research Centre, astatine the University of Cambridge, autistic radical crossed the UK are acold much apt to usage recreational drugs to self-medicate owed to an lack of due enactment successful the NHS.

John said: “From each the grounds we tin glean, Will collapsed and died consecutive away. He was wearing a covid disguise and didn’t adjacent person clip to region it - that’s however instantaneous it was.

“That shows you however unsafe these drugs are.”

Will, whose inquest was delayed by 3 years, is believed to beryllium 1 of the archetypal victims of nitazenes connected UK soil.

His decease was not thought to beryllium suspicious and constabulary initially assumed the drugs helium had taken were axenic oxycodene truthful they weren't tested.

John said: " I had nary thought that drugs recovered astatine scenes of decease are not routinely tested.

"The constabulary assumed these were symptom killers and it wasn't until we alerted the coroner's tribunal of our suspicions a twelvemonth aft Will died that they were tested and recovered to beryllium nitazenes.

"It makes you wonderment conscionable however galore different young victims determination person been."

He is not the lone young Brit to dice from the drug.

Budding opera vocalist Alex Harpum, 23, died aft taking a tablet with nitazene successful July past year.

Phone records suggested helium had tried to bargain pills usually sold arsenic Xanax, which are lone disposable with medicine successful the UK.

His mum Ann Jacques believes Alex whitethorn person taken the tablets aft struggling with slumber portion taking medicine for attraction shortage hyperactivity disorder.

Ann, of North Wales, told BBC Breakfast: “I consciousness similar fractional of maine has gone that volition ne'er travel back. I miss him each day, each day.

“He ever had occupation sleeping and this had got worse with his ADHD medicine and my hunch is helium astir apt bought them (the tablets) to calm himself down and get immoderate sleep.”

The National Crime Agency - Britain's mentation of the FBI - warned successful its yearly strategical study that  determination has “never been a much unsafe clip to instrumentality drugs”

Nitazenes person already been recovered successful the country’s heroin proviso - starring to a clump of astatine slightest 30 deaths in Birmingham successful summertime 2023. One play successful July saw 3 radical suffer their lives.

In November past year, cops seized their biggest haul of nitazenes successful a drugs mill successful northbound London wherever they recovered 150,000 tablets.

Now traces of the almighty substance are being recovered successful fake tranquilliser-type drugs sold online.

The emergence of an adjacent stronger mentation of nitazene - whose afloat compound sanction is N-pyrrolidino isotonitazene - has near experts adjacent much worried.

One told The Sun  it is apt to person claimed lives successful the UK.

Deadly pills

Retired Birmingham GP Judith Yates, who collates cause statistics, said: “It’s much unsafe than immoderate nitazene we’ve seen before.

“I judge it whitethorn person already caused deaths arsenic it has already rendered 2 radical unconscious upon utilizing it.”

The super-strength compound was archetypal recovered successful Norwich connected August 7 this twelvemonth earlier being discovered successful Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, Edinburgh, Dagenham and Bermondsey successful London and Malvern successful Worcestershire. 

A study by cause investigating bureau Wedinos reveals users successful Bermondsey and Edinburgh mislaid consciousness aft taking the pills.

Dr Yates said: “This chemic has been recovered to beryllium the astir potent nitazene yet.

“It latches connected much powerfully to receptors successful the encephalon which tin halt you from breathing.

“I’m guessing that it’s already caused deaths due to the fact that 2 radical person mislaid consciousness utilizing it.

“It was linked to its archetypal non fatal overdose in Australia successful September, a period aft it was recovered successful the UK truthful it’s apt that the find successful Norwich was the archetypal clip it emerged successful the world.”

Dr Yates said nitazenes person ironically emerged successful Britain successful the determination to marque America safer, wherever fractional a cardinal radical person died from opioid addiction.

She said: “These drugs are chiefly made successful Chinese labs.

“In 2019, Donald Trump came to an statement with leaders successful China to ace down connected the accumulation of fentanyl, which has caused monolithic issues successful America.

“This saw Chinese chemists commencement making nitazenes. They indispensable beryllium highly skilful due to the fact that since past they person been manufacturing antithetic molecules, astir to trial retired if they can.

“It’s not casual to halt them coming into Britain. I met Border Force officers successful Coventry, the biggest centre for Parcel Force and they told maine however hard it was to surface for this drug.

“It’s truthful almighty you request conscionable a tiny hint of it successful a pill to person an effect.”

Contamination risk

Wedinos statistic amusement that successful the twelvemonth to September 2024, determination were 130 cases of radical buying off-label medicines specified arsenic diazepam, temazepam and zolipdem contaminated with nitazenes.

Harry Sumnall, a prof of substance usage astatine Liverpool John Moore University, said it was apt illegally-bought pills were being accidentally contaminated with nitazenes successful labs.

Professor Sumnall said: “There are tons of antithetic types of nitazene that alteration successful potency but, arsenic a radical of drugs, they are overmuch much potent and harmful than heroin. 

“They are 50 times much potent than fentynal.

“When organised transgression gangs battalion drugs determination is simply a large hazard of contamination. If they are preparing heroin with nitazene successful the aforesaid situation arsenic anti-anxiety drugs the hazard is rather high.

“We don’t person a thorough knowing of the nitazene marketplace yet. They archetypal emerged successful th heroin proviso and we don’t cognize if it was a deliberate determination by organised transgression groups investigating the market.”

Opioids are surging successful popularity among cause dealers because heroin supplies from Afghanistan are expected to adust up aft the Taliban enactment a prohibition connected the increasing of opium poppies.

The Home Office banned 14 types of nitazenes successful March this year, making them Class A drugs.