'Pink cocaine': What is it and how is it linked to Liam Payne and Sean (Diddy) Combs?

Drug and addiction experts are raising alarms about a party-drug concoction that One Direction singer Liam Payne may have taken prior to his death. 

ABC News and other outlets have reported that partial autopsy and toxicology results showed the pop star had "pink cocaine" in his system, along with other drugs, when he fell to his death from a balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires last week.

Argentine prosecutors said Payne had consumed alcohol and drugs before being killed by injuries from his fall, and that the lack of defensive injuries on his hands indicated he may have been unconscious or semi-conscious when it happened.

The final toxicology report is expected to take several weeks. 

Pink cocaine, also known as "tusi," is a mix of illicit drugs, usually containing ketamine and some combination of methamphetamine, MDMA, cocaine, opioids or other psychoactive substances.

It sparked interest earlier this month after a civil lawsuit filed against Sean (Diddy) Combs claimed it was a drug of choice for the rapper, who is facing sex trafficking charges and allegations of sexual abuse. 

Pink cocaine is typically sold in powder form, coloured pink with dye, and usually ingested by snorting. It typically contains little, if any, cocaine, which experts say adds to its danger.

"I worry about the misnomer," said Joseph Palamar, an associate professor at New York University who researches party drugs and authored a 2023 research paper about pink cocaine. "I worry that people think that pink cocaine is cocaine, which it is not. It's a pretty pink powder, it's a mystery powder. You don't really know what's in it."

Originating in Latin America's party scenes, the concoction has made its way to the U.S. and Canada in the last few years.

The city of Sudbury, Ont., issued a warning in June about "an increase in the number of unexpected reactions" from pink cocaine use, while CBS reported earlier this month that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency said the drug was being sold online and through social media apps and being abused in New York City nightclubs.

Palamar says pink cocaine is "becoming fashionable," comparing it to the popularity of MDMA, or "molly," in the 2000s. He attributes some of the drug's growing popularity to its pink appearance and cute names, saying "tusi" (pronounced like "two C") in particular has a similar appeal to "molly."

"It's all about advertising," he said.

That nickname originates from hallucinogenic drugs like 2C-I and 2C-B that were developed in the 1970s. Palamar says the "tusi" name may have been used initially to trick people into thinking the drug was related to the 2C class of drugs, though that reference would likely be lost on most young people who use recreational drugs today.

However, in his research, some samples of the drug were found to contain DMT and other hallucinogenic substances.