A recent investigation by The Independent found that the purity of cocaine in the United Kingdom has nearly tripled in recent years, which has contributed to a corresponding rise in cocaine-related deaths. A similar trend has been observed in the United States.
The investigation collected cocaine samples from the Cheltenham Festival. Two of the three tested samples were 85% pure. In comparison, the purity was between 32–38% in 2013.
Harry Sumnall, a United Kingdom-based professor, said the cocaine is “ultra strength” and that “cocaine markets have never been as risky and as never as harmful as we’re facing today.”
The number of cocaine-related deaths in the United Kingdom increased every year between 2015 and 2024, quadrupling from 320 to 1,279.
Dr. Arijac Durrant, who tested the cocaine samples, said, “I would suggest a heightened risk of an overdose for someone taking this drug who is used to taking a lower purity substance.” For example, someone accustomed to using 30% pure cocaine would be at an increased risk of overdosing after consuming the same quantity of 85% pure cocaine.
Following an increase in cocaine production in South America, there has been a “reduced need to cut it up with other substances before selling it,” which in turn has contributed to the increase in purity, according to the article.
Notably, this trend has also played out in the United States. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported that the purity of seized cocaine in the United States increased from 54% in 2020 to 84% in 2024. The DEA noted that most of its samples were identified as having originated in Colombia.
The White House’s 2026 National Drug Control Strategy pointed to “the persistent and increasing flow of cocaine from South America” as contributing to the nation’s drug crisis. The number of cocaine-involved drug overdose deaths increased from 4,183 in 2010 to 21,945 in 2024, peaking at 29,449 in 2023, according to the CDC’s WONDER database.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse noted that the potential harms of cocaine include heart attacks, strokes, seizures, and paranoia, among others.