Mother issues plea after daughter’s death from counterfeit drugs

The mother of the late Karley Linnane has issued a warning about the dangers of counterfeit benzodiazepine tablets.

25-year-old Karley Linnane, a mother-of-two from Kilrush in County Clare, tragically lost her life last Friday (June 14) after taking the tablets.

Benzodiazepines are a type of sedative, but the HSE has found that nitazene – a powerful form of synthetic opioid – is often included in counterfeit benzodiazepine tablets.

Now, one week after her daughter’s death, Joann Casey has been addressing her concerns over the drugs.

In an interview with the Irish Independent, Kasey’s mother detailed the dangers of these drugs.

“I understand people who are in addiction might think they can take certain substances and get away with it, but with these tablets they might as well write ‘killer’ on them,” she explained.

“There’s no way out of it – if you take these tablets, you are going to die. There’s no ifs, buts or ands; you are going to die,” Ms Casey added.

Karley’s mother then went on to recall the events of last Thursday night, when she was alerted that her daughter was dying. 

“Karley had previously been in rehab. She was out about eight weeks and she was doing really well. I got a phone call at about 10.15pm that she wasn’t waking up and her lips were blue. I went to the house, went into the room and she was grey. I knew there and then,” she admitted.

“When we got to the hospital, it was only then that the doctors came out to speak to me and told me about these tablets. Five people had been brought in during a 24-hour period,” she explained. 

Noting that she hopes Karley’s death “won’t be in vain”, Ms Casey concluded: “I will have to tell her daughter and son that their mother got sick and had to go to heaven. They will never get a hug again from their mother, never get a kiss goodnight. She herself will miss out on everything. That’s the reality of these drugs.”