Overview
- The Bavarian State Criminal Police, which issued a public alert Wednesday, linked two deaths and two severe poisonings in Oberbayern and Oberpfalz to e‑cigarettes.
- Investigators found the vapes were adulterated with Etodezitramid, a synthetic opioid identified as part of the Orphine group.
- The agency said Etodezitramid shows potency on par with fentanyls and nitazenes and is often sold as a so‑called research chemical.
- One victim required resuscitation after consuming the drug in a vape mixed with other psychoactive substances, which police warn can sharply raise the risk of respiratory depression.
- Reporters note a wider shift to consuming designer drugs through e‑liquids, a discreet delivery route that hides contents and dose and complicates detection and harm‑reduction efforts.