Emergency warning over deadly drug a thousand times stronger than morphine
The former drug user was working at the rave in January, helping revellers who became unwell, when organisers announced there was a dangerous drug circulating in the crowd, causing multiple overdoses.
"People had been taking a substance that was a pressed pill that was being sold as MDMA, but was having the effect of sending people into extreme opioid overdose," Caitlyn told 60 Minutes.
The pink pills weren't MDMA - they were a highly potent synthetic opioid called nitazenes.
These pills were sold as MDMA, but were laced with highly dangerous nitazenes. 60 Minutes
They're a group of painkillers a thousand times stronger than morphine, being made in Chinese labs and shipped to western countries where they're being hidden in all types of illicit drugs.
"This had no MDMA in it, it was just straight-up nitazenes, and it was being sold to kids as MDMA," Caitlyn said.
"It was just straight-up poison."
Nitazenes were originally developed in the 1950s, but were largely forgotten after being deemed too dangerous to ever use on humans.
They're a group of painkillers a thousand times stronger than morphine, being made in Chinese labs and shipped to western countries where they're being hidden in all types of illicit drugs. 60 Minutes
More than half a century on, they've now entered the illicit drug market and have been detected in MDMA, cocaine, counterfeit painkillers, even vapes.
Claire Rocha's son Dylan thought he was injecting heroin when he overdosed on nitazenes in 2021.
"What he took, he thought he was safe in taking. He'd taken that amount before, he thought he'd be okay and he wasn't," Claire said.
"He was ultimately killed by a silent killer that neither of us knew about, and he would never have known it was there."
Dylan Rocha (right) was one of the first people in the world to die from nitazenes. 60 Minutes
Dylan was one of the first people to die from nitazenes in the UK, where six people are now being killed every week from overdosing on the deadly substance.
Twenty deaths have already been reported in Australia on top of dozens of overdoses, putting authorities here, including Dr Marianne Jauncey, on high alert.
"Quite frankly, it's terrifying," she told 60 Minutes.
"If nitazenes get into the illicit drug supply in Australia, deaths will skyrocket."
Dr Jauncey runs the safe injecting room in Sydney's Kings Cross and warned everyone should carry naloxone, a drug which will reverse an overdose of nitazenes.
Dr Marianne Jauncey says "deaths will skyrocket" if nitazenes get into the illicit drug supply. 60 Minutes
Under federal government funding, naloxone is freely available to the public at participating pharmacies.
"It will save your life if you are overdosing from opiates," Dr Jauncey said.
"This needs to be readily available in glove boxes and kitchen cupboards around the country."
The emerging threat of nitazenes has reignited the pill testing debate, with advocates calling for the government to move on the issue before it's too late.
"Why is it that we say the only testing that we can do is after the event?" Dr Jauncey asked.
"Surely it makes sense to put information and power in the hands of people, give them information about what they're using."
The emerging threat of nitazenes has reignited the pill testing debate. 60 Minutes
"What I want to say to people is actually we're all scared about the same thing - as parents, we want our kids to come home.
"The only thing that matters is to keep people safe and well."
Claire Rocha will always regret not being able to keep her son safe.
She wants Dylan's death to be a warning for Australia to act now, but also a reminder of just how unpredictable life can be.
"People will think they're safe taking what they're taking and they're not," she said.
For free and confidential advice about alcohol and other drug treatment services, call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015 or visit the Turning Point website.
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