Some Sketchy Speed in a British Town Is Making People Incredibly Aggressive

READ: I Spent a Day with a Speed Dealer

Police in Lancashire, England, have attributed an outbreak in aggressive behavior to a batch of toxic amphetamines. Officers say that on each of the four occasions, users became violent and aggressive, acting irrationally while suffering from alarmingly high heart rates. The tainted drugs made users convulse and lose the ability to talk or control their actions, and resulted in hospital visits for a number of men.

Two men, aged 33 and 47, were sedated on September 27 after allegedly taking the substance. One of the affected users had to be restrained by six police officers and calmed by a dose of anesthetic. In a separate incident, a 24-year-old man climbed a wall and managed to scale a tree before being detained by police for his own wellbeing. Similarly, a 30-year-old man was found to have climbed the roof of a pub.

Regarding the incidents, Sergeant Pete Latham of Blackburn police told the Guardian: "We are becoming increasingly concerned about this suspected harmful batch of amphetamines, particularly as the users we have come across have shown extreme signs of violence and a couple of them have put themselves in dangerous situations."

The government categorize amphetamines as a class B drug, and possession of the mind-altering substance is punishable by up to five years in prison and an unlimited fine. Supply of the drug is punishable by up to 14 years in prison and an unlimited fine.