A 22-year-old man from Brașov was detained by the police after being caught with approximately 30 grams of MDMB-4en-PINACA, a high-risk drug known as the “ghost drug”. The substance, intended for sale, was portioned into 20 sachets and hidden in a watch case.
The young man sells drugs for 40-50 lei a dose to minors – Photo IPJ Brasov
The trafficker, who also possessed sheets and patches for making joints, sold these dangerous substances for amounts between 40 and 50 lei per dose, including to minors in Brașov.
The drugs found by the police on the young man – Photo IPJ Brașov
He was remanded in custody for 30 days, announced IPJ Brașov.
What is the ghost drug
The ghost drug, MDMB-4en-PINACA, is a highly toxic synthetic cannabinoid that appeared in the US in 2017 and quickly spread to Europe. The drug can be easily hidden by being impregnated in paper or textile materials, which gives it the name “the ghost drug“.
“The difference from the other prohibited substances present on the current market is the fact that it can be easily impregnated in paper or textile materials, being easy to hide, including for introduction into prisons, that’s why it was also called the ghost drug.
It is a synthetic cannabinoid, a substance similar to ethnobotanicals. It is usually found in powder form, but can also be liquid, ideal for impregnation. It is usually sprayed on plant material or even a sheet of paper and then smoked. It can also be inhaled, injected or consumed orally (by swallowing)“, explained anti-drug expert Cătălin Țone.
The effects of this drug include hallucinations, paranoia, confusion, and in severe cases, fatal heart attacks. In 2022, MDMB-4en-PINACA was included in Table 1 of high-risk drugs in Romania.
“As of December 12, 2023, the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has placed this drug on the list of the most dangerous prohibited substances. In a directive of the European Commission of March 12, 2021, regarding the inclusion of new psychoactive substances in the definition of the term “drug”, it is stated about MDMB-4en-PINACA that it exhibits effects similar to the psychoactive effects of cannabis, but has an increased degree of toxicity life-threatening“, said the anti-drug expert, who urges us “to protect our children from drugs“.
