‘Deeply concerning’: Vapes found laced with nitazenes

A New South Wales man has been charged after he allegedly supplied vape liquid laced with nitazenes.
 
The 20-year-old was arrested after NSW Police uncovered evidence of an alleged sophisticated illicit drug distribution model between March and July 2025, for the first time in Australia.
 
On 1 August, strike force detectives raided a Revesby property where they located electronics, vape hardware, vials, and $7180 in cash.
 
Three days later, a seized safe was also opened, containing 1.8 kilograms of nitazene, bringing the total amount seized throughout the investigation to 2.1 kilograms.
 
NSW Police allege the sale, preparation and distribution of the vials was marketed as ‘supercharged’ for profit.
 
Detective Superintendent John Watson, Commander of the Drug and Firearms Squad, said the allegations are ‘deeply concerning’.
 
‘It’s calculated, dangerous, and entirely profit-driven,’ he said.
 
‘By lacing vape liquid with these synthetic opioids, suppliers are deliberately creating dependency – hooking users to ensure repeat business.
 
‘This is the first time in Australia someone has been charged with supplying nitazene-laced vape liquid, which demonstrates a disturbing evolution in the illicit drug trade, but our squad is constantly adapting to meet these emerging threats head-on.’

NSW police seized more than $7000 in cash during a raid of a Revesby property. (Image: NSW Police)
 
Earlier this year, the Australian Federal Police revealed that between January 2024 and March 2025, eight nitazene imports were detected at the Australian border.
 
The potentially deadly illegal and synthetic opioid has also been detected in counterfeit pain-relief medication in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.
 
Dr Hester Wilson, RACGP Specific Interests Addiction Medicine Chair, told newsGP that while allegations such as this are not common, it is something GPs ‘need to keep an eye out for’.
 
‘It’s really uncommon, be alert, not alarmed … but it’s really important to get this information out to GPs,’ she said.
 
Looking at vaping more broadly, and its spike in popularity in recent years, Dr Wilson said ‘it’s one of the difficult things for us as GPs’.
 
‘On the one hand, we don’t want never-smokers – our kids – we don’t want another generation of people becoming dependent on nicotine,’ she said.
 
‘But, potentially, vapes have a place in helping people to step down from tobacco use.
 
‘Certainly, it’s an option once you’ve tried all others and the person hasn’t been able to quit, then this is another option to help them decrease harm with the focus on helping them stop completely.’
 
RACGP guidelines are available to support GPs, including ‘Pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation’ and ‘Supporting smoking and vaping cessation: A guide for health professionals’.
 
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