‘It’s a small blue pill that is said to be three times stronger than ordinary MDMA tablets and it’s been reported that several teenagers in the UK have died from taking this drug, although this is not the case in Jersey,’ say the police.
‘Our advice would be not to take this drug or for users to seek immediate medical attention if they notice any different symptoms or start to feel unwell.’
The blue pills – named ‘Punisher’ after a Netflix television series – feature an imprint of a skull. Although they have been linked to the death of a 19-year-old with cerebral palsy in the Isle of Wight and numerous hospital admissions, there have not yet been any reports of people falling ill in Jersey.
Nightclub security staff have issued an appeal for Islanders to stay away from drugs during the Christmas party season.
Home Affairs Minister Gregory Guida yesterday warned Islanders not to take the high-strength pill. ‘Unfortunately, this is a typical problem when it comes to unlicensed drugs – you do not know exactly what effect they will have.
‘They can be cut, recut and all of a sudden they can become incredibly strong.
‘They are one of the main causes of overdoses,’ he said.
WARNING! 12/11/2021. Multiple Blue “Punisher” embossed “thicker” tablets (LHS) confirmed by @MANDRAKE_LAB, to contain #MDMA (397 – 477 mg/tab) = to 4-5x the common oral dose. Even ½ of these pills is v. high dose. High dose will not increase effect but increases risk of death. pic.twitter.com/23fThTN4XW
— MANDRAKE (@MANDRAKE_LAB) November 12, 2021
Deputy Guida also appealed to people not to hesitate to call for medical assistance if one of their friends had an adverse reaction after taking drugs.
He added: ‘Unfortunately that happened in Jersey not long ago where somebody died and their friends had been too scared to call an ambulance.
‘If someone becomes ill, then do not hesitate to do so.’
Roy Travert, who has been a doorman for over a decade, said: ‘I have just done my doorman badge renewal and we go through drug awareness there and there was no mention of it and that was two or three days ago. I think it is a really new thing in Jersey,’ he said.
Asked how common the use of class A drugs in Jersey nightspots was, Mr Travert said: ‘It has always been here but I would say there has been a rise in drug use in the Island since I started. I have no doubt about that.
‘In one of the last clubs I worked at, lot of times I would walk around the club afterwards and I would find baggies on the floor.
‘Other times I have found full bags of drugs on the floor which we hand to the police. I cannot speak for other doormen but that is what I have seen.
‘It is normally a form of white powder or pills. I do not know exactly – that is down to the police, who do the analysis.’
Mr Travert added that with many young Islanders now going to nightclubs and bars for the first time due to the pandemic, it was now more important than ever to educate them about the dangers of drugs.
He said: ‘Just do not do drugs because the consequences can be devastating, especially if you get prosecuted.
‘We have caught people in the past who have been at university or college and that one night can mess up their whole lives.’
Meanwhile, Rob Jackson, owner of Atlantic Security, said he had recently witnessed people visibly under the influence of illegal drugs.
Mr Jackson said that anyone suffering from an adverse reaction while on a night out should tell a member of door staff, who would treat them ‘judgment free’.
The ‘Punisher’ pills hit UK headlines following the death of Harley Girven in 2019 and have been branded as the ‘world’s strongest’ and ‘the strongest ever found in the UK’ in the national media
