Up to 19 deaths in North linked to lethal ecstasy

Gardaí and health officials are scrambling for information on a new drug which has been linked with up to 19 deaths in the North in less than a year.

The drug, known as 4,4DMAR, has been found in both tablets and powders and is thought to be sold to users as ecstasy, chemically known as MDMA.

An inquest in Belfast on Thursday heard that 4,4DMAR had been mentioned in connection with 19 deaths between June 2013 and February 2014.