The State agency tasked with identifying illicit drugs has sounded a warning over “the rising threat” of synthetic opioids drugs here after identifying 10 new drug substances or unusual presentations of drugs last year. Dr O’Donnell said that between 2022 and 2023, FSI identified several nitazene (synthetic opioids) variants in small seizures of tablets and powders. Some of the new drug substances identified by the FSI last year included protonitazene, which is a synthetic opioid “significantly more potent than heroin”. The number of overall cases submitted to FSI by the Garda and other State agencies last year was 25,170, which included 10,595 drug and toxicology cases. The report says 997 cases were aided during 2024 by some 766 hits on the national DNA data base

Source: The Irish Times December 11, 2025 18:08 UTC