A huge black market for illegal prescription drugs around Bury New Road in Strangeways has sprung up during the lockdown, a new report reveals.
The street on the edge of Manchester city center has become the “established epicenter for non-prescription prescription drugs,” according to the Greater Manchester Testing and Research on Emergent and New Drugs report.
Drug users from across the region use public transportation to travel to the region to buy drugs like pregabalin, diazepam, tramadol, zopiclone and Xanax, researchers said.
The drugs, believed to be often counterfeit or imported from abroad, are openly sold in bulk on the streets and in stores for as little as 50p per pill.
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But they are then regularly resold in surrounding towns for £ 1 each, with the profits being used to buy heroin and crack.
A homeless drug user from Bolton told the report’s authors that “anything you want can be bought” on Bury New Road.
He said, “All you have to do is jump on the train, five, ten minutes, I’m in Cheetham Hill. Go down Cheetham Hill, you can buy whatever you want, boxes and boxes of it.”
“Yes, Strangeways. You can buy everything in boxes down there.”
Another Stockport homeless drug user said, “You can’t even go out on the streets without being talked to and once they know you, that’s all, they fight for you.”
Diazepam tablets tested by researchers for the report
(Image: GM Trends / MANDRAKE)
A homeless housing team leader who works in Bury, Rochdale and Bolton told the report that the appeal of Bury New Road was so strong it even affected where people wanted to live.
They said, “For example, when we host them we get a lot of people who really want to be near a tram stop so they can get on the tram and go to Cheetham Hill, which is obviously Bury New Road.” this area.”
The report, which surveyed drug users, charities and healthcare professionals from across the region to gather information on new drug use trends, was released after an investigation by the Manchester Evening News found the use of pregabalin used for the Treatment of epilepsy is prescribed. Anxiety, and nerve damage, had exploded among the area’s drug addicts and rough sleepers during the pandemic.
Crowds on Bury New Road
Experts fear that the increased consumption of “pregabs” and diazepam, which are often taken in combination with heroin, crack, spices and alcohol, could lead to an increase in overdoses.
The report said that homeless workers and sleepers “regularly reported cases” of people overdosing and dying.
“These deaths were all attributed to prescription drugs purchased from Bury New Road,” the report added.
One homeless man said he knew “at least” six people who were affected after taking pregabalin, while a project worker at a homeless charity in Stockport told the report that “many” homeless people had died after taking the drug.
They said, “We have had many dead [homeless service users] unfortunately due to pregabs which I think they bought from Cheetham Hill in Manchester.
“They tell us that, and it’s awful. Even though we’ve tried to tell people that there is a risk factor, they say ‘yes, yes, yes, yes’ but unfortunately they still do.
“Somebody has to do something about it because it’s utterly outrageous. How can you get away with it? “
A man walks down Bury New Road towards Manchester city center as traffic heads north out of the city towards Cheetham Hill
(Image: ABNM Photography)
The explosion in prescription drug use is believed to be due to a significant decline in quality and a rise in the price of heroin combined with the increased difficulty of shoplifting and begging during lockdown.
One batch of heroin tested in Wigan was found to be only two percent pure, while several other batches in the area were less than 5% pure.
A Tameside heroin user told the report, “Heroin these days is dead bullshit. Trash … It’s bad, it’s really bad. I’d say definitely … I need to probably smoke about four sachets.” [of heroin] Just to feel good so I can’t rattle If not more. “
Another former Bolton heroin and crack drug user said: “The drugs in Bolton were powerless.
“It was just a waste of time having it. You would have something to eat at nine in the morning and by dinner you would need something else. You would convince yourself that you need something else hundreds of pounds a day, 200 pounds a day. “
The report concluded that the increase in prescription drug use greatly increases the risk of overdose in heroin users, and made several recommendations for reducing the problem.
It is “urgent to consider the amount of resources” to be devoted to combating the “open street market” on Bury New Road.
GPs should also “review their prescribing practices,” while emergency rooms, emergency services and homeless shelters “should no longer assume” that heroin is the “main ingredient” in overdosing, the report said.
City of Manchester Area Commander Supt Paul Savill said: “We welcome the new report, which is the first of its kind in the UK and will help us monitor drug trends and develop the most appropriate police response.
“The effects of drugs are far-reaching, causing misery and lives at risk in communities. The report puts us at the forefront and allows us to identify issues as they arise before they embed so we can work with our partners to take action and address them. “The Supply.”
Baroness Bev Hughes, Deputy Mayor for Police, Crime and Criminal Justice, said: “Greater Manchester is leading the way and GM TRENDS research is the first of its kind in the UK.
“This approach helps us to understand drug trends across the metropolitan area and raise awareness of potential risks.
“The report’s recommendations are designed to inform policy-making, protect people and support professionals working with drug users.
We will continue to work with partners on the recommendations of the report, and we will use targeted measures such as Operation Cranium to help prevent the use and sale of counterfeit drugs. I get regular updates from GMP and I know the officials are working hard to stop the illegal sale of drugs. “
For the latest email updates from the Manchester Evening News, click here.