WHEN a mother said goodbye to her 13-year-old daughter as she left to spend the evening with friends, nothing could prepare her for the phone call that would make her blood run cold.
The schoolgirl had collapsed after smoking what she had thought to be a harmless, fruit-flavoured vape – but little did she know it had been laced with a lethal “zombie” that left her fighting for her life.
Popular seaside town Seaham in County Durham is facing an ‘epidemic’ of contaminated vapes Credit: North News & Pictures
Ian Ritchie, 36, said it was ‘evil’ to target children with the vapes containing drugs Credit: NNP
An “epidemic” of contaminated ‘Mazza’ vapes have swept the coastal town of Seaham, County Durham, leaving children seriously ill in hospital and their parents gripped with fear.
The family of the 13-year-old girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, have spoken about their horrific ordeal in May this year.
Her mum said her “worst nightmare” unfolded when she found her daughter face-down on the rocks before she was blue-lighted to hospital after she could not be roused.
The teen’s sister told The Sun: “Thankfully she has made a full recovery but she was rushed to hospital after being found unresponsive on the beach where she’s smoked a vape containing .
A 13-year-old girl was hospitalised after she smoked a vape containing fentanyl and antifreeze Credit: Getty
She collapsed at a beach with her friends before she was raced to hospital Credit: NNP
“It’s terrifying that something like that is so easily available to children, she was very, very ill from it.”
Her mum said: “She was unresponsive for 12 hours in the critical care unit. Something seriously needs to be done to get this Mazza off the streets.
“My daughter’s toxicology test showed she had Fentanyl which is known as a zombie drug in America and other drugs, also antifreeze.
“This is a lethal combination and, to me, this is just evil sick-minded people who need wiping off the face of the earth because it’s clearly only kids who are targeted.
“The need to get on the streets more and keep kids safe. A child is going to die because of this stuff.”
A 12-year-old boy was also hospitalised that same month, believed to be the result of using one of the deadly vapes.
“Mazza” is street slang for any vape liquid which has been spiked with a drug.
Typically, the vapes purport to contain the lab-manufactured alternative Spice as well as fentanyl.
The ‘Mazza’ vapes have hospitalised children in Seaham, County Durham (stock image) Credit: Getty
Krystle Fulton, 41, spoke of her experience with a vape laced with Spice Credit: NNP
Worryingly, some are marketed as the type of fruit-flavoured vapes which have become sought after by school children.
It’s a trap that caught out Krystle Fulton, 41, who spoke to The Sun on Seaham’s high street.
She said: “I’ve been battling with drugs and I’m now doing really well but in the past I have had my difficulties.
“I ordered what I was told was a THC cannabis vape but when I used it I was getting really bad effects from it.
“I started being sick, having convulsions and I was zoning out. It was only when I went to rehab that they analysed what was in the vape I had been using.
“It was basically Spice that I had been , which is so much more harmful than cannabis – though I accept I shouldn’t have been smoking that either.
“It’s very frightening that young kids are being targeted by vapes that contain drugs like this, I’ve seen first hand the harm they can do.”
Her friend Ian Ritchie, 36, who works for his family-run trawler business, has also been in drug rehabilitation and has been substance-free for the last 12 months.
Daniel Hart, 33, said kids are using dangerous drugs to ‘escape’ Credit: NNP
Zed Ali, 37, who runs a vape shop on Seaham high street, despairs for the town’s children Credit: NNP
He said: “Fentanyl is a terrible drug, I’ve known addicts who have used it accidentally because it’s been cut with heroin and the affects are terrible, it’s a killer.
“I have known grown men killed by Fentanyl, it is a very powerful drug. So for young children to have access to it is really frightening.
“It’s really evil to put that stuff in vapes that are targeted at children, I fear for the kids in this town if that’s what’s going round.”
Daniel Hart, 33, was drinking a in the Wetherspoons that looks out onto Seaham’s Church Street.
In his numerous spells in jail he became addicted to the heroin substitute Subutex and Spice.
Now drug-free for the past four years, Daniel helps run a group for persistent offenders, to steer them away from drugs and the resultant spiral into .
He said: “I know exactly why kids are using dangerous drugs, it’s not to get high, it’s to black out.
“I was exactly the same, using Spice inside as a way of escaping from the tedium and misery of daily life in .
Paul Jackson, 56, said there was a case for tighter regulation around vapes Credit: NNP
Retired roofer Peter Edwards, 80, said there was nothing for kids to do in the town anymore Credit: NNP
“And these kids are doing the same thing. They may be from a broken home like me, bored or tired of life in a small town and they will do anything to black out, to escape.
“But Spice and Fentanyl are evil drugs, they take you to places you don’t want to see and it’s genuinely frightening that young children are being exposed to stuff like that. It needs to stop.”
DJ Aiden Lauder has called on Seaham’s authorities to clamp down on the Mazza “epidemic”.
He said: “If this Mazza epidemic isn’t sorted by the police and town council, local youth organisations, we will.. I’m prepared to stand and fight for the kids of our community, my friends’ bairns and my own.”
Zed Ali, 37, runs ZTech, one of the reputable vape shops on Seaham’s high street.
He’s read on social media about the problem with Mazza vapes and, as a dad himself, despairs for the town’s children.
He said: “It’s unbelievable that vapes with these dangerous synthetic drugs in them are finding their way into the hands of children.
“I own a carefully run vape shop where our products are properly sourced and regularly inspected by trading standards to make sure what we’re selling is safe and always to people over the age of 25.
A collection of vapes – not necessarily linked to Mazza (stock image) Credit: Getty
The Sun visited Seaham to speak to locals Credit: NNP
“I’m also in the tech industry so I’m aware that these vapes and other harmful products are being bought by social media.
“There was a time when buying illicit goods meant accessing the dark web, but the dark web has now come to social media.
“It’s easy for children to access the dark web via and I’m convinced that’s how they’re getting their hands on these vapes and it’s really frightening. How do parents even begin to regulate that?”
Seaham was once known for coal mining and its bleak and blackened beach was the perfect backdrop for a famous scene in the 70s gangster movie Get Carter, starring .
But in recent years the town has seen a renaissance and has invested millions in attracting visitors to its seafront bars and .
The five star Seaham Hall spa resort has become a destination, with celebs such as , and all spending time there.
John Poole, 58, visits the town every other weekend from his home in the Black Country.
He said: “I love this town and I think this stretch of coast is absolutely beautiful, there is so much going for Seaham.
Local David Poole on the High Street in Seaham Credit: NNP
A 13-year-old girl collapsed on the beach Credit: NNP
“But there’s something wrong amongst the youth here, there is an underlying culture here that makes them loose cannons and I don’t know why.
“Vaping is bad enough for children but when they are being exposed to substances that could lead them into hardcore drugs then something seriously has to be done to prevent it.”
Paul and Lisa Jackson were visiting the town from Stockton on Tees.
Paul, 56, said: “In my day the kids were putting themselves in danger by sniffing glue and there was a massive outcry about that. Kids will always find a way to get hold of substances.
“But the difference now is that the substances they can access are so much more powerful and dangerous. There is a case for tighter legislation around vapes.”
Retired roofer Peter Edwards, 80, said: “There was a time when there was 56 and clubs around Seaham, at a time when the three local pits were still operating.
“But things have changed and there’s nothing for younger people to do any more.
“The real answer to not being exposed to dangerous vapes is to make sure they aren’t vaping at all – is that not a drug in itself?”
Durham Police said it was aware of concern over Mazza liquids and issued a warning – but the vapes it has tested have not so far contained Fentanyl.
A spokesman said: “Police became aware of community concerns regarding the use of illicit ‘Mazza’ vapes in the Seaham area in May.
“A suspected Mazza vape was seized after members of the public raised concerns that it may contain traces of fentanyl.
“Officers carried out tests on the liquid, and the results showed no traces of fentanyl or any other illicit additives.
“Despite this result, we would like to remind parents and young people that illegal vapes and vapes of unknown origin can be extremely dangerous.
“It is illegal to sell vapes to those under the age of 18, or to buy a vape for anyone under the age of 18.”
If you have any concerns about the supply of vapes to children, you can contact Trading Standards here: https://www.gov.uk/find-local-trading-standards-office
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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