More than a quarter of drug misuse deaths across Wales are linked to cocaine
The woman was found dead at her home at Rhodfa Sant Luc (St Luke’s Road), Llwyncelyn, Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf(Image: Google)
A 43-year-old woman was found dead at her home after a cocaine overdose. Deaths involving the class A drug have surged in Wales over recent years.
Pontypridd coroners’ court heard Rebecca Louise Carey’s body was discovered on December 16 last year at her address in Rhodfa Sant Luc, Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf. Coroner Rachel Knight said: “Rebecca had a history of poor mental health and illicit substance use.
“Toxicology and post-mortem examinations demonstrated that she had taken cocaine with other drugs before her death, and it is more likely than not that the cocaine gave rise to a fatal heart attack. There was no evidence that she intended to die.”
Ms Knight recorded a conclusion of drug-related death. The medical cause of death was given as a heart attack in the setting of cocaine use.
Earlier this year Public Health Wales released figures showing cocaine was involved in 65 deaths in 2023 — accounting for more than a quarter of the 253 drug misuse deaths across Wales.
Opioids remained the leading cause, contributing to 167 of those deaths. But Public Health Wales warned: “There has been a large increase in the number of deaths involving cocaine over the last four years.
“This trend co-occurs with increases observed in reported cocaine-related hospitalisations and individuals presenting for treatment within substance misuse services.”
The median age of people whose deaths involved cocaine was 41.
It was not possible to distinguish between deaths involving crack or powder cocaine because of reporting mechanisms, said Public Health Wales.
Prof Rick Lines, head of the substance misuse programme at Public Health Wales, said: “These evolving trends point to a need to expand our services to meet the needs of stimulant users generally, and particularly people who smoke crack cocaine who are often particularly vulnerable.”
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