Nitazenes Replace Fentanyl in Estonia

A new class of synthetic opioids, nitazenes, has displaced fentanyl in Estonia and is now linked to hundreds of deaths in the UK. The Baltics account for 96% of Europe’s nitazene seizures, and in 2023 nearly half of Estonia’s overdose deaths involved nitazenes. Their extreme potency and rapid spread signal a new phase of Europe’s opioid crisis. — This shifts European drug policy and public‑health planning toward a higher‑potency synthetic threat with cross‑border implications for surveillance, treatment, and law enforcement.