Clear plastic bags containing ketamine, cocaine and amphetamine, seized in Belfast

A drug an alcohol recovery service has warned that a potentially deadly batch of contaminated ketamine has been detected in the North West. Wirral Ways, which supports drug users as part of Change Grow Live, a national heath and social care charity, said ketamine in the area had tested positive for medetomidine.

Medetomidine is a strong anaesthetic medication used by vets as a sedative for cats, dogs, and horses in some countries. It has recently emerged as an increasingly popular adulterant for illicit drugs, being secretly added as a means of bulking out batches of drugs to increase their quantity, leading to greater profits for dealers.

However, adulterants added to street drugs can have unexpected e

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