A potentially lethal drug cocktail which combines crack and heroin has hit Bermuda.

The Police Narcotics squad is now working out how to combat the spread of the drug known as "moonrocks'' or "dope rocks'' which is catching crack users unaware.

One user told The Royal Gazette that the drug had cropped up all over the Island with marble-sized rocks of crack mixed with heroin being sold for $50 a hit -- the same price as crack.

He said: "It's very prevalent, it's as prevalent as crack cocaine. It's all you can get now.

"You are going to buy crack but they are not telling you. Everyone is getting duped. I don't think the dealers are aware they are selling it in many cases.

"I don't know where it's come from and I don't know what they are trying to do but that's what's happening, that's what's here, it's hit big time.

"They are selling them at all the same places you normally buy drugs, Court Street, areas like that.'' He said the dealers would lose out with the switch because the effects were so devastating that crack users would not be returning soon for another hit.

"I have tried it -- the affects are different.

"You don't get the usual rush you get with crack. You are waiting for a second and you realise it's not working and then the heroin takes over and it takes over big time.

"All of a sudden you are sitting there stupid, thinking what's going on, what hit me? You are stuck for hours.

"The heroin takes over and it takes over big time. I have seen people pass out for hours. The high is just as if you had shot up.

"I tried a very small piece. I would have thought it could not have done that to me but it did -- and I have been smoking crack for 20 years.

"I was in one spot for three hours.'' He denied the new drug was creating more heroin addicts; instead it was just frustrating crack users and leading to violent confrontations.

"It's getting hairy, people are getting hurt. They want their money back.

"It took me a day and a half to get it out of my system. It's terrible.

"I couldn't control it, I wasn't looking for it, I wasn't ready but I only had a small portion.'' "There are cases of people throwing up, having accidents, being irrational.

Some end up just nodding, that's all they can do.

"It started coming a couple of weeks ago -- I don't know where it comes from.

We have another epidemic.'' Chief Inspector Larry Smith of the Narcotics Department said: "We learned yesterday there was some in the country.

"It's a lethal combination, I can assure you. I have had a meeting with staff to discuss it and we are putting in some extra efforts to see if we can get a seizure.

"I am anxious to get hold of some of the stuff to see what we are looking at.

We have not seen any ourselves.

"For those people not used to crack and heroin it's supposed to make them sick.'' The Narcotics Department is now getting data on the drug from the Drug Enforcement Agency in the United States.

`Moonrocks hit Island `big time' National Drug Agency Director Dr. Derrick Binns said: "This gives us concern.

We are sorry to hear that this has now reached us.'' He said both cocaine and heroin were dangerous enough already and the way the pair was combined with other chemicals could cause more, as yet unknown, side affects.

He warned: "You are playing with your life.'' "You can overdose on heroin and it is not uncommon for cocaine users to have serious respiratory problems and heart failures. We have had that in Bermuda.

"It's similar to speedballs -- which were cocaine and heroin but crack has different properties to cocaine.

"With crack one person became many people -- something similar may happen with this.'' He said it was important people knew about the new phenomenon so they could begin to tackle it.

One drug addict The Royal Gazette spoke to said moonrocks had taken off with the drug cartels in the US because they were doubly addictive.

He said the crack would cause a psychological addiction while the heroin would cause a physical addiction.

"If you have both of those you don't become an addict, you basically become a slave. It's insanity.'' But he explained that crack addicts were attracted by the drug because the heroin allowed them to calm down after the initial crack high and helped combat intense paranoia, allowing them to disguise their habit.

"You get a rush from the crack and the heroin brings you down. If you work the next day, rather than looking at the ceiling all night you can get some sleep.''