A significant amount of fentanyl along with a package of tusi — a synthetic drug concoction known as “pink cocaine” — was seized when Chihuahua state police intercepted a drug load in Juárez, authorities said.
State investigators seized more than 61 pounds (28 kilos) of blue fentanyl pills after they pulled over a green 2014 Toyota Corolla on Sunday afternoon, June 8, in the area of Manuel Gomez Morin Boulevard and Manuel Jesus Clouthier Boulevard in eastern Juárez, the State Investigations Agency said in a news release.
Luis Manuel C.C. is shown with more than 60 pounds of fentanyl pills inside packages in brown tape and a bag of tusi “pink cocaine” were seized by Chihuahua state investigators and the Mexican military at a traffic stop on Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Juárez, Mexico.
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The driver, Luis Manuel C.C., 42, was arrested to face potential federal charges in a case that’s part of anti-drug operations by the state police with the Mexican army and National Guard. The man’s last name was not disclosed by authorities in keeping with rules in Mexico regarding the identification of crime suspects.
The Chihuahua State Investigations Agency seized a drug load of more than 60 pounds of fentanyl pills that were inside plastic bins wrapped by brown tape during a traffic stop on Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Juárez, Mexico.
The fentanyl pills were inside 24 plastic bins wrapped in brown tape. The bins were inside a gray plastic storage bin in the car, police said. A plastic bag containing a small amount of a pink powder known as tusi was also seized.
Chihuahua state police haven’t reported any major seizures of “pink cocaine” since it was first encountered in a small amount of 53 grams seized in April 2024.
What is tusi or pink cocaine?
Tusi, commonly known as “pink cocaine,” is a mix of drug substances dyed pink and often contains no cocaine at all, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The drug is sometimes spelled as “tuci.”
The powder can contain mixtures of ketamine, methamphetamine, MDMA (ecstasy), fentanyl and other substances, the DEA reported. The drug can create mind-altering, potentially dangerous effects depending on its composition.
A package containing the synthetic drug tusi, also known as “pink cocaine,” was seized along with a drug load of fentanyl by Chihuahua state police investigators during a traffic stop on Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Juárez, Mexico.
The DEA reports that tusi, which is marketed as a “new” party drug but has been around for a decade, is not widely trafficked and seizures, mostly at the retail level, have been associated with the night club scenes of Miami, New York and Los Angeles.
Tusi has been linked to the sex-trafficking allegations against hip hop music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and the arrest of an Instagram model who was allegedly on the substance during a fatal Miami car crash last year, USA Today reported.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Tusi ‘pink cocaine,’ large fentanyl load seized in Juárez drug bust