Three die in north London borough from new synthetic opioid as expert warns: 'We are staring into the abyss'

Three people have died in north London from an emerging synthetic opioid that could be up to a hundred times stronger than heroin, as campaigners fear an “immediate crisis” posed by synthetic opioids in the capital.

Two men in their 40s and 50s and one woman in her 40s died in Camden from Cychlorphine. The manufactured drug is thought to have a similar toxicity to nitazines, making accidental fatal overdoses more likely.

The deaths occurred over less than a month on October 30, November 14 and November 23 in Camden Town, Gospel Oak and Highgate, sparking alerts from local drugs services and concern from homelessness frontline workers.

Camden recorded the highest number of drug deaths in the whole of London in 2024.

The emerging designer drug has been reported in four European co