COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) As "pink cocaine" makes headlines following the death of a One Direction member, the Drug Enforcement Administration said the substance is still uncommon in Missouri. A toxicology report revealed the substance was found in the body of singer Liam Payne after he fell from a balcony and died last week, KABC reports.
Springfield, Missouri, DEA Agent-in-Charge Bryce Herkert said "pink cocaine" is a mixture of many different drugs that is then dyed pink and sold in a powder form. The mixture can include ketamine, methamphetamine, MDMA, cocaine and fentanyl. "In the few samples that our labs have seen, the only commonality is that it's a pink, powdery substance," Herkert said.
He said the DEA has only started to seize the substance over the last couple of years. He said it is popular in the club scene and is likely being targeted to youth due to its pink coloring and sometimes strawberry flavor. Herkert said the DEA in Missouri has not yet encountered the drug, but it is possible it's been found by local law enforcement agencies.
Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson said his office has been referred to review a few cases involving "pink cocaine" recently from law enforcement. Spokespeople for the Boone County Sheriff's Office, MU Health Care and Boone Health all said they have not encountered the substance. The Columbia Police Department did not provide a comment Friday.
Columbia/Boone County Health and Human Services Health Program Coordinator Heather Harlan .
