After the death of three British men, the Amsterdam police urged tourists to be careful of "white heroin," a type of drug laced with powerful painkillers that street sellers may have been passing off as cocaine.
Found in a hotel in Amsterdam on Nov. 25, the latest victims were aged 20 and 21, police confirmed. A post-mortem exam will confirm the time and cause of death, but the police believe white heroin is to be blamed after they found white powder traces beside the bodies of the two men.
A quick test was carried out to determine what the white powder trace was and results showed it wasn't cocaine. Instead, it was an opiate, likely to be white heroin. Samples were then taken to the Dutch forensic institute where it was confirmed that the white powder trace contains the same components as others collected in relation to cases where people got sick after snorting what they believed was cocaine.
After a Briton, who was linked with the same street dealer or dealers peddling white heroin, was found dead last month, Amsterdam officials started handing out flyers and putting up signs at hostels and hotels as well as main squares and the Centraal railway station to remind tourists not to purchase drugs from sellers on the street.
"[In] the last couple of weeks several tourists were hospitalized with severe health problems after using cocaine bought on the street ... Research has revealed that the cocaine used was not cocaine but white heroin," said a warning on a flyer.
Aside from three dead, 14 others were reported to have gotten sick as well from taking white heroin.
Amsterdam is a popular destination for its "coffee shops" where pot may be smoked. However, liberal laws on marijuana are not extended to hard drugs, such as heroin and cocaine.
Rob Van der Veen, spokesperson for the Dutch police, was quick to remind tourists that they don't have to worry about getting arrested for taking drugs. If they or someone they know get sick from taking drugs, they are advised to call the Dutch emergency phone number for assistance.
"If people are stupid enough to use and get sick we are not there to arrest them, we are there to save lives. That is our highest priority. If you get into problems, dial 112," he said.
Aside from pot, magic mushrooms are allowed in Amsterdam in very small quantities. Smoking in public, however, is prohibited.
