Summary

A Bellingcat investigation found that Chinese suppliers are behind a flood of online ads selling nitazenes, synthetic opioids up to 40 times stronger than fentanyl.

These drugs, linked to hundreds of deaths in Europe and North America, are marketed openly on platforms like LinkedIn and X, often by companies using deceptive tactics.

Despite recent Chinese bans on some nitazenes, new variants continue emerging.

Experts warn the decline of heroin production and fentanyl restrictions could fuel a worsening nitazene crisis worldwide.

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