A well-known social media personality and a 43-year-old woman have died after consuming a suspicious batch of cocaine laced with heroin, police believe.
The cocaine has been linked to the deaths of Dunka Raymond Caldwell and Angel Mounce-Stephens, who both died in Sydney on August 30.
Mr Caldwell, 30, who is known to his 60,000 followers as Humdinger was found dead in his Glebe home in the early morning.
Madam Mounce-Stephens, 43, was found later that morning at around 8:45 a.m. in her Newtown home.
The NSW Police Strike Force Chatton has launched an investigation into the contaminated drug batch, which is believed to have been cut with heroin and other opioids.
“Police are awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death,” a New South Wales police spokesman said.
The deaths prompted an urgent warning from NSW Health, which said two more people had been taken to hospital after overdosing on heroin, which was sold as cocaine.
Mr Caldwell’s passing was received with great sadness in his community of Glebe, where he had become a much-loved local celebrity.
Dunka Raymond Caldwell and Angela Yazgan both died of opioid overdoses in Sydney on August 30
Mr Caldwell, 30, was found dead at his Glebe home in the early hours of the morning and Ms Mounce-Stephens, 43, was found later that morning at 8.45am at her Newtown home.
“You are loved and missed,” someone wrote online.
‘I can’t believe this happened. We woke up to this news, how do you process this?’
He was the uncle of South Sydney Rabbitohs star Tyrone Munro and the team recently black mourning bands in honor of the 30-year-old.
Mrs Mounce-Stephens’ funeral took place last week at Rookwood Cemetery and she is known to have had previous problems with substance abuse.
She was once convicted of drug trafficking and possession and sentenced to a rehabilitation program.
NSW Health confirmed two other people have been admitted to hospital after coming into contact with the contaminated cocaine.
The couple were treated for a heroin overdose after taking what they thought it was cocaine.
The deaths have prompted an urgent warning from NSW Health about the danger of illicit drugs whose strength and content are unknown and inconsistent.
NSW’s According to Dr Hester Wilson, head of addiction care, ‘just one line’ of heroin can cause an overdose.
“One of the dangers of illegal drug dealing is that the strength and content of the substance you are getting is unknown and can be inconsistent,” she said.
‘It is important that people recognize the signs of an opioid overdose early and know how to respond.’
Opioid overdoses can lead to: The symptoms can cause constriction of the pupils, drowsiness, loss of consciousness, slowed breathing/snoring and a blue/gray discoloration of the skin and can be life-threatening, she said.
‘Heroin and other opioids can be sold as or found in cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA (ecstasy). You can’t always tell the difference between these drugs by their appearance.’
Mrs. Wilson advised all drug users to: carry naloxone, a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, if they plan to use it.
Naloxone is available without a prescription and is free to anyone in NSW at risk of an opioid overdose.