Two people have died and another has been left fighting for his life after drugs cast yet another dark shadow over Dundee.
A man and a woman died of suspected overdoses while a second man is in intensive care in Ninewells Hospital as a result of another drugs overdose.
Drugs workers in Dundee said this had been a “tragic week” as it was suggested there has been a rise in the use of crack cocaine in Dundee recently, as well as an increase in the number of people taking a “cocktail” of drugs.
Dave Barrie, service manager at Addaction, said he was devastated with the latest incidents all coming in the same week.
He said: “I am aware that there has been more than one drug related death in Dundee this week and one case of a third person left seriously ill after a suspected drugs overdose.
“This has been a bad week in Dundee.
“Drugs continue to rip the heart out of the city.
“This problem is no closer to going away and we are continuing to fight the battle against illegal drugs.
“Drugs are rife in Dundee and for every life lost there is a family left behind to try to pick up the pieces, including, in many cases, young children.
“My heart goes out to the families of the people who have been affected by drugs this week.”
Dave said he was aware that there were more cases recently of people using fake Valium and a mixture of drugs.
He added: “Users are taking a cocktail of drugs with tragic consequences.
“To do this is extremely dangerous.
“Addaction continues to support those who have a drug habit and those who are in recovery as well as the families who are left behind.
“Good work is going on to try to reduce the number of drugs deaths that are continuing to occur and we are also looking at ways to make things safer for drug users.
“That includes giving safe needle use advice and making sure that people carry Naloxon and know how to administer it.”
Tributes have been paid to city busker Kevin Hughes, whose body was discovered in a city centre car park in Rattray Street on Thursday.
He was a well-known busker, often seen out playing his guitar and entertaining in local pubs.
Leading the tributes to Kevin was Gareth Norman of city charity Night Ministry.
Gareth said: “I came across Kevin busking on the streets fairly frequently although I hadn’t seen him as much recently.
“His stance was outside the casino and the Tesco store in the West Port.”
Mike Cordiner of the Eagles Wings Trust said he was saddened to hear of Kevin’s death.
He also admitted he was aware of a rise in crack cocaine use in Dundee and voiced his concerns for the addicts living within the city. Mike said: “It’s so sad that there have been further drug deaths in Dundee this week.
“I am aware that two people have died. I knew Kevin and he was a really nice guy.
“He would come to the centre sometimes.
“Drug mis-use continues to be a major problem in Dundee affecting very many people.
“People are still dying, that never changes.
“At the centre we work with many drug users and it’s always very difficult for us when we hear of people who have died from an overdose because the chances are we will have worked with them at some point.
“We get to know the people and it’s very hard to come to terms with it when someone dies.”