Synthetic drug K4 is increasing violence in prisons and is already behind a homicide

The drug is up to 100 times stronger than marijuana and was reportedly the cause of the psychotic episode that led an inmate at Linhó prison to kill another prisoner.

The murder that occurred two weeks ago in Linhó Prison Establishment may be linked to consumption of a highly dangerous synthetic drugknown as K4, whose circulation is growing on Portuguese networks.

Linhó’s case involves a 25-year-old inmate with a history of mental illness, whose family and lawyer requested more intensive psychiatric care. The suspect’s lawyer, Pedro Pestanaannounced that he will request the defendant’s non-imputability, claiming that the crime was committed during a psychotic break triggered by the consumption of the substance.

For the defense, the combination of mental problems and K4 consumption turned the young man into a “time bomb,” with the prisoner reporting experiencing intense hallucinations, including visions and voices, after consuming K4 with the victim.

K4 is a synthetic cannabinoid, produced in a laboratory to mimic the effects of THC, but with much greater potency. According to Carlos Cletodo Institute for Addictive Behaviors and Addictions (ICAD), this substance can be up to 100 times stronger than cannabis and cause serious effects, such as psychotic episodes, violent behavior and even cardiorespiratory arrests.

The way drugs enter prisons makes it difficult to control. The K4 is often impregnated on papersuch as letters sent to prisoners, and then chewed or smoked. A single leaf can contain hundreds of doses, making detection practically impossible without the use of specialized laboratories, such as those at Judicial Police.

The numbers confirm the increase in the problem. Seizures of substances suspected of being synthetic drugs in prisons rose from 37 in 2023 to 313 last year.

Sources from prison health services consulted by confirm the occurrence of psychotic episodes and deaths associated with the consumption of these substances, classifying the phenomenon as a “scourge”. Not so much, General Directorate of Reinsertion and Prison Services (DGRSP) guarantees that there is no data proving loss of control and that the seizure work has been reinforced.