News Desk
MALÉ— A spate of unexplained deaths has jolted authorities in the Maldives into issuing urgent warnings about a potent synthetic opioid that has devastated many countries, though its presence in the Indian Ocean archipelago has not been confirmed.
In an unusual preemptive step, the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology today cautioned the public about the dangers of “China White,” a fentanyl-based substance linked to thousands of overdose deaths globally because of its extraordinary lethality.
The advisory came as Maldivian officials grappled with a string of deaths across the islands in recent weeks. While the causes remain undetermined, the fatalities have sounded an alarm over the possible infiltration of China White or other synthetic opioids into the tropical nation.
“We cannot rule out that these tragic incidents may be connected to fentanyl or one of its analogs,” said a government official on condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to talk on the matter. “Raising awareness about the threat posed by drugs like China White is essential as police investigate these cases.”
China White is a clandestinely produced version of fentanyl up to 100 times more powerful than morphine. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that fentanyl caused over 70,000 overdose deaths in the United States in 2022 alone.
The Maldives, had been relatively insulated from the opioid crisis ravaging many parts of the world. But the spate of deaths has shattered that calm, with authorities now seeking to pre-empt a potentially dire scenario by educating the public about synthetic opioids like China White.
