The super-strength crack cocaine sparking wave of horror in UK drug capital where dealers hack off LEGS in sick feuds

IT'S long held the infamous title of 'Europe's drugs capital', with alleyways, car parks and bin stores taken over by hollow-eyed junkies. Now, despairing Glasgow residents say super-pure cocaine is sparking a fresh wave of misery, sending addicts into the grip of psychosis as they shoot up with filthy needles discarded on street corners.

The crisis in Scotland's second city is so severe it recently became home to the UK’s first ever drug consumption room, where addicts can inject smack and cocaine in private booths, without fear of arrest. But gangland feuds continue to spill on to the streets, with one shocking machete attack even costing a victim his leg.

A shocking 833 suspected drug deaths were recorded in Glasgow in the first nine months of 2024, according to the latest figures. And in 2023 there were 303 suspected drug deaths in Greater Glasgow - a rise of 41 per cent on the year before. In the latest part of The Sun's series, Hooked, we visited the embattled city, which has been under the thumb of notorious kingpins like the 'The Iceman' Jamie Stevenson, who ran a £100million drugs empire until his downfall late last year.

Scott Richards, a former addict-turned-recovery activist who works with young users, knows all too well the damage that crack cocaine can do. “I'd say I got 15 years of use before I was aware that my mental health was taking a beating," he tells us. "But the purity of cocaine in Glasgow means the younger generation are not getting that - they're getting affected instantly.

“So within the first couple of years, what we're seeing in the meetings is that the psychosis is upon them, the suicidal thoughts are on them, and they're really struggling with their mental health.". Earlier this year, The Sun was able to visit the controversial consumption room in the city’s East End, called the Thistle, before it officially opened in January.

It is hoped that the sterile and safe environment will reduce deaths. We found vein-detecting equipment and baskets full of ready-to-go needles, and even a large lounge space and free laundry. In its first week alone, the “fix room” welcomed nearly 20 users a day.

And the latest figures showed that over eight in ten users were there to use cocaine, according to the city council. It follows worrying reports that the potency of the Class A drug has soared over the last decade, with an analysis of waste water conducted shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic suggesting purity had reached a record high.

Despite the efforts of the consumption centre, former drug users warn it may be doomed to fail. Addicts are so desperate, and so unconcerned about the consequences, they won’t bother to make even a short walk to the facility. One serial relapser told us that if he has drugs on his person, he will take them there and then - even if that means shooting up in a lane or car park that's much more dangerous.

The Morrisons car park next door is also littered with needles and drug paraphernalia - despite being just yards from a safe alternative. And the battle against drug gangs in Glasgow is becoming harder and harder. The issue is particularly serious in the city's poverty-stricken estates, where vulnerable addicts can be found slumped over against a backdrop of concrete tower blocks and grey clouded skies.

Behind the scenes, the city's addiction is fuelling brutal violence between gangs clashing for control of the lucrative drug trade. In August 2023, shopkeeper Mohammed Arif lost his leg after he was set upon with a machete because he “wanted to distance” himself from a crime group.

One of the assailants, William Dickson, received a sentence of nine years in jail followed by five years on licence. We had men knock on our doors asking us for sex throughout the night. In August, six mobsters were convicted for a scheme to flood Glasgow with £100million worth of cocaine, smuggled in bananas.

Jamie Stevenson, 59, David Bilsland, 68, and Paul Bowes, 53, pleaded guilty to serious organised crime and drug offences following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow. Stevenson, the ringleader who was also known as the 'Iceman', was sentenced to two decades behind bars.

And in October last year, officers recovered £5.5million worth of drugs from a safehouse on a north Glasgow estate. Included in the haul was more than 90kg of cocaine, 23kg of heroin, and a firearm. Meanwhile, hotels housing rough sleeping have racked up thousands of police callouts due to sudden deaths, violence and drug abuse.

Some were so dangerous that the homeless actually opted to stay out on the streets. A visitor to one of these halfway houses told how she was left "terrified" by a stay. "We had men knock on our doors asking us for sex throughout the night," said Kayleigh McGrath, who visited in October 2022.

"We saw yet another clearly on drugs bashing the door with a fire extinguisher. We asked the front desk to call police and an ambulance. "We were terrified.". Injecting cocaine causes the drug to be absorbed into the body extremely quickly, providing an intense and immediate high.