The four bodies pulled from a Broadmeadows home last week have tested positive for a synthetic opioid, as the health department issues an urgent warning that white powder marketed as cocaine in Melbourne is being spiked with the deadly ingredient.
A man who strangled his female partner in front of her young children was among 2700 family violence offenders to be arrested in Melbourne’s southeast in the past six months.
A dog was found alive and well, ruling out the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning.
On Thursday, Police confirmed that the four bodies had tested positive for a synthetic opioid.
Police at a house on Bicknell Court in Broadmeadows where four people have been found dead. Picture: Andrew Henshaw
“While forensic testing remains ongoing, preliminary tests have confirmed the presence of a synthetic opioid in the system of all four people,” Victoria Police said in a statement.
“No presence of fentanyl has been detected at this time.”
On Tuesday, Victoria’s Department of Health issued a dire warning over a white powder being sold in Melbourne as cocaine which contains protonitazene, a deadly opioid.
Nitzazenes are a group of synthetic opioids that are up to 1000 times more potent than morphine.
Protonitazene, specifically, has a potency over 100 times that of heroin.
The synthetic opioids were developed by researchers in the 1950s as an alternative to morphine, but were never implemented because of their high potential for overdose.
Authorities have raised concerns the deadly opioid Nitazene could be hitting Australian streets. Picture: Supplied/ Australian Federal Police.
Nitzazenes have been detected in drugs across Australia, unbeknownst to the individual consuming it, as it is mixed in with MDMA, ketamine, cocaine and other non-opioid drugs – posing a risk of opioid overdose.
There have been more than 300 drug alerts for the substance group across Australia
The deaths of the 37-year-old man, 32-year-old man, 17-year-old boy and 42-year-old woman are still being treated as non-suspicious.
The group were all located in the lounge room of the home.
Relatives and friends of the deceased outside a house on Bicknell Court in Broadmeadows where four people have been found dead. Picture: Andrew Henshaw
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Family member and neighbour Corey, who is the 17-year-old boy’s uncle, made the devastating discovery.
Corey smashed a window to get inside the Broadmeadows home after seeing his nephew lying on the floor.
He said the other three adults in the house were his brother-in-law, and two other neighbours.
“I’ve come home to find family members in a house deceased and it’s just tortured me, shocked me,” he said.
At the time, Corey speculated the deaths could be due to an drug overdose.
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