Stolen animal euthanasia drug sold as sedatives in Tampere

Animal euthanasia medication stolen from a veterinary clinic in Kuru, Ylöjärvi, has been sold on the street under a false name, Yle reports. Buyers believed they were purchasing benzodiazepines, or sedatives, but received potentially fatal pentobarbital instead.

Juuso Niemenpää, a physician at Tampere A-Clinic, told Yle that several cases have come to light. He said the users were unaware of what they had taken.

In one case, the person was encountered by addiction services after the effects of the substance had clearly worn off. Niemenpää said he was particularly surprised that the stolen drug had been sold rather than used by the people who took it.

A veterinary clinic called Haukiveti in Kuru was burgled during the weekend. Police said the thieves took Euthasol, a preparation used to euthanise animals. The stolen amount was 240 millilitres in a single bottle.

The preparation contains pentobarbital, a barbiturate that depresses the central nervous system. According to the product information, a one gram dose can cause death in humans, and there is no antidote for barbiturates.

Niemenpää said every use could be fatal, particularly for people who are not accustomed to the substance. He added that selling drugs under false names is common in illicit drug markets, making use more dangerous because people may not know what they are taking.

Addiction services do not ask patients where they obtained substances, Niemenpää said, because doing so could damage the trust needed for treatment. Investigating the source of the drugs is the police’s responsibility.

Police continue to ask people to report any observations or information related to the stolen substance.