San Antonio is on high alert for pink cocaine, a new drug with deadly risks

SAN ANTONIO – Drug Enforcement Administration officials are warning citizens about a drug with deadly side effects.

One that has already made its way inside the borders of Texas.

Now, authorities are watching closely to catch the drug if it ever reaches San Antonio.

A pink, sweet-smelling powder may look pretty, but it’s anything but a harmless treat.

“Drug dealers are making drug cocktails of cocaine mixed with fentanyl, mixed with methamphetamine, xylazine and other illegal substances — color it pink and market it as pink cocaine,” said Acting Deputy Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s San Antonio, Brian O’Neill.

Pink cocaine is becoming a household name for law enforcement across the country.

Authorities in both Bexar County and San Antonio remain vigilant.

“We work hand-in-hand all the time.. DEA, in general, we target the cartels, and it’s basically one more level of distribution that we try to focus our efforts on,” Special Agent O’Neill. “I think the state and local people will meet much more often at the retail level.”

Abigail Moore is CEO of the San Antonio Council on Alcohol and Drug Awareness, or SACADA. Her concerns lie more with the younger population, who may be intrigued by the drug’s appearance.

“Often the drugs are offered in fun colors with, you know, certain designs on them, just to appeal to a younger population,” she explained. “The novelty of trying something new and different when youth and adults are abusing substances is often like playing Russian roulette. You don’t know what you’re getting.”

Authorities across the country have come face-to-face with the hallucinogen, now it’s arrived in the Lone Star State.

DEA agents from the Houston branch reported cases in Harris, Hays and Travis counties.

“We had reports of pink cocaine in the area. However, DEA San Antonio did not find any pink cocaine,” said Special Agent O’Neill.

And neither did the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.

But, they’re keeping their eyes open as the number grows nationwide.

So far, the DEA as a whole has seized 960 “shows” of pink cocaine since 2020.

Special Agent O’Neill urges anyone who comes into contact with the drug to contact the police immediately.

“We are here to help you. Whether it’s the San Antonio Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bexar County Sheriff. We’re all on the same team, trying to do the same job, which is to fight illicit narcotics,” he said.