A coroner has issued a warning over the dangers of ordering drugs on the dark web after a dad-of-one died after taking a substance described as 20 times more potent than fentanyl.
It follows the sudden death of Jay Woolsey from Portadown, who was found on 9th August 2024.
The 33-year-old, who was a father of a 13-year-old boy, died at this home on Tandragee Road. It was later determined his death was due to a drug called Nitazene.
The inquest heard that Nitazene is 20 times more potent than the likes of fentanyl, and several times more potent than morphine.
Jay was last seen at around 6.30pm the evening of the 8th August 2024. After not hearing from him, his mother Gillian McCann visited him the next day, to find him deceased, sitting upright in an armchair.
His heartbroken mum described her son as a “charismatic man who loved making music”. He had mental health struggles, but he appeared to be turning a corner before his death. She got her hopes up and “believed he was going to be a happier Jay”.
Following his death, she had gained access to his laptop. His online search history was suggestive that he was buying drugs on the dark web.
A post-mortem was carried out by Dr Mark Egan, which led him to believe Jay Woolsey died after falling asleep, after ingesting several drugs.
Dr Egan told the inquest he suspects Jay acquired suppurative bronchitis and bronchopneumonia as a result.
Coroner Toal’s findings were that the powerful effect of Nitazenes made the bronchitis become fatal, after diminishing Jay’s ability to fight it.
The PSNI’s Detective Constable Simon Alexander Duffin of Lurgan CID was the investigating officer on the case.
He said there has been an increasing number of deaths due to Nitazenes in the last 18 months. However, the drugs were not discovered during routine searches, only after a fatality.
Talking about Jay’s activity on the dark web he said: “These sites are not like normal retail purchases – there’s no returns policy, no way to know what you’re getting.
“What people are ordering may not even be what is being supplied to them, or what they believe they’re ordering.”
The detective added that Jay was sadly a tragic example: “Unfortunately, Jay is what we see as a result.”
Coroner Toal warned that people buying drugs online were taking a “considerable risk” as they cannot be sure “what you’re buying”. She ended her findings by commending Jay’s mother and family for their braveness and stressed her gratitude for giving her the opportunity to raise awareness of Nitazenes and ordering drugs online.
A coroner has issued a warning over the dangers of ordering drugs on the dark web after a dad-of-one died after taking a substance described as 20 times more potent than fentanyl.
It follows the sudden death of Jay Woolsey from Portadown, who was found on 9th August 2024.
The 33-year-old, who was a father of a 13-year-old boy, died at this home on Tandragee Road. It was later determined his death was due to a drug called Nitazene.
The inquest heard that Nitazene is 20 times more potent than the likes of fentanyl, and several times more potent than morphine.
Jay was last seen at around 6.30pm the evening of the 8th August 2024. After not hearing from him, his mother Gillian McCann visited him the next day, to find him deceased, sitting upright in an armchair.
His heartbroken mum described her son as a “charismatic man who loved making music”. He had mental health struggles, but he appeared to be turning a corner before his death. She got her hopes up and “believed he was going to be a happier Jay”.
Following his death, she had gained access to his laptop. His online search history was suggestive that he was buying drugs on the dark web.
A post-mortem was carried out by Dr Mark Egan, which led him to believe Jay Woolsey died after falling asleep, after ingesting several drugs.
Dr Egan told the inquest he suspects Jay acquired suppurative bronchitis and bronchopneumonia as a result.
Coroner Toal’s findings were that the powerful effect of Nitazenes made the bronchitis become fatal, after diminishing Jay’s ability to fight it.
The PSNI’s Detective Constable Simon Alexander Duffin of Lurgan CID was the investigating officer on the case.
He said there has been an increasing number of deaths due to Nitazenes in the last 18 months. However, the drugs were not discovered during routine searches, only after a fatality.
Talking about Jay’s activity on the dark web he said: “These sites are not like normal retail purchases – there’s no returns policy, no way to know what you’re getting.
“What people are ordering may not even be what is being supplied to them, or what they believe they’re ordering.”
The detective added that Jay was sadly a tragic example: “Unfortunately, Jay is what we see as a result.”
Coroner Toal warned that people buying drugs online were taking a “considerable risk” as they cannot be sure “what you’re buying”. She ended her findings by commending Jay’s mother and family for their braveness and stressed her gratitude for giving her the opportunity to raise awareness of Nitazenes and ordering drugs online.
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