What is ‘pink cocaine’? New party drug linked to death of Liam Payne and cited in Diddy lawsuits is a dangerous mix of meth, ketamine and amphetamines that can cause hallucinations and psychosis

A party drug nicknamed ‘pink cocaine’ could implicated in Liam Payne’s death, according to reports in Argentina.

Payne, just 31, plunged 45ft to his death from the third floor of CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, last Wednesday. 

Now in a fresh update, preliminary results from toxicology tests of the former One Direction star’s remains found traces of cocaine, benzodiazepine, crack cocaine and ‘pink cocaine’ in his system.

Also known as ‘tuci’ or ‘tusi’ or ‘Pantera Rosa’ the drug originates from Colombia and, despite its name, doesn’t actually always contain cocaine.

Instead, it is typically a potent mix of several drugs like the tranquilizer ketamine, the stimulant MDMA, and caffeine, as well as food dye to give its telltale colouration. 

Medics say a pink cocaine mix could result in a person suffering extreme agitation, hallucinations, and even psychosis.

A report by news network ABC says: ‘A partial autopsy found that the former One Direction singer, who died at 31, had multiple substances in his system when he fell to his death from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Oct. 16th.

‘Those substances included ‘pink cocaine’ – a recreational drug that typically is a mix of several drugs including methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA and others – as well as cocaine, benzodiazepine and crack.

‘An improvised aluminium pipe to ingest drugs was also found in his hotel room.’

Both reports have yet to be confirmed.

Pink cocaine was also implicated in the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s sex-trafficking investigation.

Diddy’s on-off girlfriend Yung Miami ‘transported pink cocaine for him,’ court documents alleged.

Former One Direction singer Liam Payne died aged 31 after falling from a balcony in Argentina 

While details of the tragedy are still emerging, a toxic cocktail of drugs and booze could be involved with Argentinian detectives stating substances taken from his hotel room indicate a ‘previous situation of alcohol and drug consumption’. Pictured images taken from Payne’s hotel room

Similar items, such as burnt aluminium foil, were also found in the hotel room’s bathtub 

Yung Miami, also known as Caresha Romeka Brownlee, was a member of the Diddy-backed group City Girls. 

Combs and Yung Miami were first rumoured to be dating in 2021 and the pair confirmed they were dating in a June 2022 ‘Caresha Please’ episode. 

The lawsuit claims that in April 2023 Yung Miami brought the pink drug on a private jet from Miami to the Water Music Festival in Virginia because ‘Sean Combs wanted tuci but Brendan forgot it.’

‘Plaintiff and the Combs Rico Enterprise were rehearsing for ‘Something in the Westival.’ in Virginia,’ the court filing reads.  

‘Plaintiff Jones personally witnessed Mr. Combs do a few lines of coke in his dressing room. Defendant Sean Combs wanted tuci but Brendan forgot it, so Defendant Kristina Khorram called Yung Miami. Who then brought it on the private jet from Miami.’

Pink cocaine was also implicated in the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s sex-trafficking investigation. Diddy ‘s on-off girlfriend Yung Miami ‘transported pink cocaine for him,’ court documents alleged 

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s National Center for Biotechnology Information, ‘the majority of tusi samples contain ketamine, often combined with… MDMA, methamphetamine, cocaine, opioids, and/or new psychoactive substances.’ 

Dr Nelson from Santa Clara Valley Medical Center has previously said the pink cocaine combination of substances could be lethal.

He told FOX KTVU: ‘When I read the mixtures in the ingredients of this drug, I’m expecting agitation, hallucinations, psychosis, sort of hyperstimulation.’.

It is considered a luxury drug, and a single gram sells for around $100 (£77), while regular cocaine usually costs around $60 (£46).