Secret heroin addict died 'foaming at the mouth' after taking a powerful sedative used to knock out RHINOS
- Christopher Dyson, 25, was found foaming at the mouth at his home in Hull
- Took heroin laced with carfentanil, 10,000 times more potent than morphine
- Just 1ml of the drug is used to sedate large animals including rhinoceros
An addict who hid his substance abuse from loved ones died after taking heroin laced with one of the world's most deadly drugs used to sedate elephants and rhinoceros.
Christopher Dyson was found foaming at the mouth at a house in Hull he shared with friends.
An inquest into the 25-year-old's death heard he had taken a batch of heroin laced with carfentanil, a synthetic opioid 4,000-10,000 times more potent than morphine.
Christopher Dyson, 25, was found foaming at the mouth at a house in Hull he shared with friends. He had taken heroin laced with carfentanil
Just 1ml of the drug can sedate a large animal, such as a rhinoceros.
Mr Dyson hid his heroin addiction from those closest to him, the inquest into his death heard.
Following a spate of deaths linked to carfentanil, Mr Dyson's mother Elizabeth Smith said she wants the public to be aware of its dangers and know dealers are cutting heroin with the substance.
She said: 'We want others to learn from what happen to Chris. Know what this drug is capable of. Even a drop can kill.'
Ms Smith only discovered her son had graduated from cannabis, which he began taking in his late teens, to hard drugs after he died.
'We had no idea,' she said. 'Kids think they know best these days. It's very hard to make them listen.
'The day before Chris died, he took a homeless man in, gave him a meal and some roll-ups. He was the sort who'd give you his last pound.'
Mr Dyson's brother, Nathan Dyson, added: 'Don't do any drugs. It's easy to get hooked and then go on to harder drugs. It's then a downward spiral.'
Dr Justin Cooke, who performed the postmortem on Mr Dyson, confirmed toxicology tests showed the presence of carfentanil.
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He said: 'Carfentanil is extremely potent. It is between 4,000 and 10,000 times more potent than morphine. It's used in animal medicine. Just 1ml of the drug can sedate a large animal, such as a rhinoceros.
'This year there has been a spate (of deaths linked to carfentanil). I doubt drug users know that they are taking it. They think it's fentanyl (opioid used to treat cancer patients), but it's a lot more dangerous.'
Dr Cooke explained how carfentanil 'depresses the respiratory system.'
Carfentanil, one of the world's deadliest drugs, is 10,000 times stronger than morphine, and the most potent commercial opioid in the world
In a statement read to the inquest, Mr Dyson's girlfriend said she discovered him unconscious on his bed at around 3am on May 25.
She and one of Mr Dyson's housemates began resuscitation attempts, before paramedics took over. He died later that day at Hull Royal Infirmary.
David Rosenberg, assistant coroner for Hull and the East Riding, quizzed PC Donna Wagner, the officer in the case, about carfentanil.
'Humberside Police is well aware of it,' she said. 'We are working with ReNew (Hull's drug and alcohol service) and the hostels to try and make users aware.'
At least 14 deaths in Hull this year have been linked to fentanyl and carfentanil.
PC Wagner agreed with Mr Rosenberg's suggestion that carfentanil was 'quite prevalent' on Hull's streets, with the officer adding that there had been 'several deaths' linked to it.
Mr Rosenberg formally concluded Mr Dyson's death had been drug-related.
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