Broadmeadows overdose: Heartbroken sister breaks silence after brother Michael Hodgkinson and three others were found dead in a home
The sister of a man who died from a mass overdose has made a heartbreaking plea for Australians not to risk their lives and stay away from drugs.
Michael Hodgkinson, 32, was one of four people found dead in the living room of a flat in Broadmeadows, Melbourne’s north, just after 2am on June 25.
Police said on Thursday that a synthetic opioid had been found in the bodies of Mr Hodgkinson, Abdul El Sayed, 17, and an unidentified man and woman, aged 32 and 42.
The Department of Health this week issued a warning over the sale of cocaine in Melbourne laced with the synthetic opioid protonitazene, which is 100 times more potent than heroin.
Its potency and sedative effects can lead to respiratory depression (shallow breathing) or overdose, especially in combination with other drugs or alcohol.
Hodgkinson’s shocked sister, Nicole Hodgkinson, pleaded with Australians not to “take the risk” with drugs.
“This drug is going to ruin so many families,” Ms Hodgkinson told the Herald Sun.
“Be aware of what you put into your body because ultimately it is your family who will suffer the consequences.”
Michael Hodgkinson’s (pictured) sister Nicole has pleaded with Australians not to ‘take the risk with drugs’ after he and three others died of an opioid overdose
Mrs Hodgkinson said her family will carry the pain of her brother’s death with them forever as they ‘never got to say goodbye’.
She remembered her brother as a good man who always “tried to make you laugh,” no matter what was going on in his own life.
“Our family will never be the same. Michael was a wonderful person, but unfortunately he made a bad choice,” Mrs Hodgkinson said.
The plasterer was the eldest of six children and the uncle of five nephews and nieces.
Mrs Hodgkinson and her younger sister, 26-year-old Jamie, said they had travelled home from Tasmania to begin the arduous task of collecting his belongings.
The police have yet to confirm whether the four deaths can be directly linked to protonitazene. The results of the forensic investigation are not expected for several weeks.
The health department has linked the horror drug to overdoses in Victoria and beyond, including one death in South Australia.
Mr Hodgkinson (pictured) was one of four people found dead in the lounge of a unit in Broadmeadows, Melbourne’s north, on June 25.
The opioid that killed the group remains unknown, but warnings have been issued about cocaine laced with protonitazene, a synthetic opioid 100 times more potent than heroin (pictured: police and family at the scene)
Authorities warned it was mixed with other drugs, making it difficult to trace where it came from.
“There have recently been serious accidents in Melbourne associated with a white powder sold as cocaine that contained protonatazene,” the department’s warning said.
‘The product appears to cause, among other things, unconsciousness, respiratory depression and life-threatening hypoxia (insufficient oxygen for normal functioning).’
It was added that the drug’s sedative effects and its potency, compared to the stimulant effects of cocaine, could lead to overdose.
The warning further noted that respiratory depression also occurs more quickly with new synthetic opioids.
Taking protonatazene with alcohol, other prescription medications such as Xanax or Valium, or recreational drugs such as GHB can also increase the risk of overdose.
The deaths are not considered suspicious as forensic examination and investigation into the deaths are still ongoing.