​Warnings issued over “Silver Punisher” pills circulating in Manchester

Harm reduction service MANDRAKE has issued warnings over super high-strength ecstasy pills currently circulating in Manchester, the “Silver Punisher”.

A warning was published by the Manchester-based drug testing facility on Monday, October 2, explaining that “multiple Silver Punisher pills” have been tested and were discovered to contain an average MDMA content of 252 mg/tablet - 2.5 times the common dose.

The pills are grey or silver in look, around 1.5cm in length, and embossed with Marvel’s The Punisher logo.

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MANDRAKE, a harm reduction service and drug analysis lab conducted at Manchester Metropolitan University, have hosted testing facilities on-site at The Warehouse Project since 2013, and works to warn its attendees of potentially dangerous substances.

The testing facility returned to The Warehouse Project at the beginning of its opening season on Saturday, September 23, and has continued to provide harm reduction services at several events.

Earlier this year, the UK government took a "risky U-turn" on efforts to provide drug testing facilities at festivals and clubs. Sacha Lord, founder of The Warehouse Project and Parklife, condemned the government's decision, calling it a "concern to the safety of many".

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Last October, MANDRAKE found “Blue Punisher” ecstasy pills containing 477mg of MDMA on average circulating in Manchester, the strongest pills ever found in the country.

Testing conducted at recent Pride celebrations in Manchester also found a synthetic powder sold as MDMA circulating the city. Manchester City Council concluded that the drug had “never been seen before” in the area, and issued urgent warnings after its discovery.

Read more on how to protect yourself from super high-strength ecstasy here.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter