Police links deaths to dangerous batch of ‘Superman’ ecstasy pills
Suffolk police believe a dangerous batch of illegal drugs may have caused the death of three men and left a fourth fighting for his life.
A man in Rendlesham and a man in Ipswich died within hours each other yesterday and another was taken to hospital in a serious condition, where he remained critically ill last night.
Police are investigating the deaths and believe they could have been the result of taking drugs from a dangerous batch of ecstasy tablets, described as red triangles with a ‘S’ superman sign on them.
A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said paramedics tried to save the men after they went into cardiac arrest.
He said: “We were called to Chestnut Close in Rendlesham at 6.36am and we sent a rapid response vehicle, an ambulance crew and an ambulance officer to the scene.
“We treated a man in his early 20s who was unconscious and had gone into cardiac arrest. He was declared dead at the scene.
“We were also called to Provan Court in Ipswich at 9.24am to reports of two men who had suffered a cardiac arrest.
“We sent two ambulance crews, an ambulance officer and the East Anglian Air Ambulance also attended the scene.
“Sadly one of the men was pronounced dead at the scene while the other was taken to Ipswich Hospital in a serious condition.”
Another man in his 20s is thought to have died in a drugs-related incident in Bramford Lane, Ipswich, on Christmas Eve.
Chief Inspector Steve Denham has urged anyone with pills matching the description not to take them and to hand them in to police.
He said: “As well as it being illegal to sell and buy drugs, it can also be very dangerous as we have sadly seen with these tragic deaths. We would urge everyone not to be tempted to take illegal drugs, you don’t know where they have come from, what they are made up of, or how your body will react to them. “
“If you have been offered drugs in the Ipswich area over the past few weeks, in particular ecstasy, we’d urge you to contact us with any information so that we can find those responsible and remove these dangerous drugs from the streets.”
Similar triangular drugs embossed with the Superman logo have also been circulated in the Netherlands.
The Trimbos Institute in Uterecht described the pills as containing ‘a very high dose of the dangerous substance PMMA’ which can take users longer to feel the effects.
This can make them think the pills are not working and lead to them taking more.
Police are urging anyone with information to contact them on 101, or to call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.
