Feds warn about pink cocaine, also known as Tusi, in NYC. Here's what to know.
NEW YORK - The feds are issuing a new warning about a drug cocktail called pink cocaine.
The feds say it's a popular party drug they're finding on New York City streets.
It was also named in a lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs as one of his alleged go-to drugs.
Drug Enforcement Agency New York Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino explained a gram of pink cocaine can cost between $20-$100.
"It's being sold mostly online and through social media apps but being abused in the clubs in New York City," Tarentino said.
What is pink cocaine?
The expensive club drug, also known as "Tusi" or "Tuci," often contains no cocaine at all. DEA agents say it's a synthetic drug mixed with white powder and pink food coloring that's marketed as a fun, party cocktail.
Bridget Brennan, New York City's special narcotics prosecutor, says the drug is dangerous, causes amnesia and has been seen in date rape cases.
"It's ketamine mixed with methamphetamine, ecstasy. It could be mixed with anything," Brennan said. "It can put people into a 'k-hole' where they feel like they're in a blank space, like they are disassociated from their body, they're disassociated from their brain, they don't know what's going on."
CBS News New York has learned the drug has been linked to a Sean "Diddy" Combs sex assault and trafficking case filed by music producer Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones earlier this year. The 79-page lawsuit alleges "It was required all employees from the butler, the chef to the housekeepers, walk around with a pouch or fanny pack filled with cocaine, GHB, ecstasy, marijuana gummies and Tuci (a pink drug that is a combination of ecstasy and cocaine)."
The lawsuit goes on to say "it was important to have Mr. Combs' drug of choice immediately ready when he asks for it."
"It's not going to stay in that space and always be a high-end party drug," Brennan said.
Fentanyl concerns
"We're seeing more and more of this drug being mixed with fentanyl," Tarentino said.
Fentanyl is a big fear. In September, a New Jersey man was arrested for selling guns, cocaine and pink cocaine in parts of Manhattan including Harlem and Central Park. In June, a New York City woman was caught selling a full menu of drugs, including pink cocaine, on a messaging app on her cellphone, and then shipping it to customers.
"It's really a very dangerous and deadly market right now," Brennan said.
It comes as federal drug enforcement agents say they're seeing new record highs of drug overdoses across the city. The most recent data shows more than 2,600 overdose deaths in 2021, and 3,026 overdose deaths in 2022. The first quart of 2023 saw 712 alone.
Officials say they are still working with the city's medical examiners office to see if pink cocaine has been linked to any deaths in our area.
