Health
Inside a One-Man Workshop for Ultrapotent Drugs
Last fall, a man who calls himself Chemical Analyst allowed the two of us – New York Times reporters writing about the illegal drug trade – to watch on a secure video call as he packaged ultrapotent synthetic drugs for distribution.
These chemicals now flood the modern drug market. Many have psychoactive effects that are much more intense than those of traditional drugs. One newly emerging drug, cychlorphine, can be 250 to 500 times as strong as heroin and 10 times as strong as fentanyl.
Chemical Analyst is a small-time, independent dealer who supplies powerful drugs without a cartel or gang for support. From an apartment in the northeastern United States, he places online orders for drugs made in a lab in China, repackages them and sells them domestically.
Operations like this represent the frontier of a drug market that is increasingly democratized. Compounds can be made in labs all over the world, ordered online and shipped anywhere. And because these drugs are often entirely new chemical compounds, they are difficult for law enforcement officials to detect.
We interviewed Chemical Analyst over the course of a year, after meeting him through others who use and sell these new, potent drugs.
He allowed The Times to observe his operation on the condition that his identity would remain confidential. He is a felon on probation who fears further prosecution. He is also a functional addict who regularly buys, sells and ingests some of the most potent drugs in the world.
The Times decided to describe parts of his process because they are vital to understanding both the origins of ultrapotent drugs and the difficulties faced by law enforcement in tracking and interdicting these new compounds.
In 2022 and 2023, Chemical Analyst was a street dealer of fentanyl and crack. His setup at an apartment “is so much safer,” he said. “I don’t have to worry about running if a cop rolls up through the alley,” he added. As his own use gravitated to more potent drugs, he developed the connections and expertise to sell them, too.
His latest drugs arrived in mid-October from China in a silver Mylar bag. He paid $4,370 in cryptocurrency for the shipment, which contained several powerful and potentially deadly synthetic compounds.
One bag held a 100-gram slab of MD-PiHP. The drug is a cathinone, a class of stimulants often sold as “bath salts” that can induce psychosis. In markets where these stimulants are particularly popular, like Miami, they are increasingly showing up in toxicology reports from people who suffer fatal overdoses.
On the secure video call, Chemical Analyst measured 100-milligram crystals of the drug into small bags. He sprayed the bags with bleach to remove his DNA, applied labels from an untraceable thermal printer and wore textured latex gloves to keep the bags clean of fingerprints. Because Chemical Analyst is a convicted felon, his prints are already in state databases.
He moved the drugs into smaller baggies and weighed them. He then sealed them into packages for shipment. He wrote a false return address so he could not be traced and drove far from his residence to drop them in the mail.
Chemical Analyst said that people might assume he sold on the “darknet,” a restricted network that requires special software to access. But he has a website on the regular internet, and he takes steps to conceal his whereabouts and identity. He accepts cryptocurrency payments, but he avoids Bitcoin because he worries that it might be trackable.
Drugs like this are hard to police in part because their composition changes all the time. The molecular structure of MD-PiHP is nearly identical to that of MDPV, a potent cathinone that appeared in 2010 and can cause extreme psychosis and death.
Chemical Analyst spoke in detail about the chemistry of these novel drugs. He offered to draw MD-PiHP to show important facets of its structure; shortly after the video call, he texted his illustration.
Chemical Analyst first spotted an online listing for the drug in early 2025. He is familiar enough with drug molecules that the structure alone made him want to try it. He was surprised by its potency and effects. “This is not something humans should be getting high on,” he said, adding an expletive.
He worried that the drug’s potency could produce a high so intense that it “could easily cause anhedonia,” an inability to experience joy when sober. He said that, unlike other suppliers, he did not adulterate his products, so they were predictable and therefore safer. “It’s how I pay the bills,” he said.
His operation also shows just how inexpensive illicit drugs have become in the age of synthetics. In his recent shipment from China, he ordered half a dozen different substances, paying between $6 and $28 for a pure gram, depending on the drug. A standard dose is 50 to 100 milligrams, meaning that the cost of getting high is often less than $1.
He keeps a collection of novel drug samples, as well as a separate stash for his own consumption.
Chemical Analyst plays another important role in the emergence of ultrapotent synthetic drugs. He is part of a small but influential circle of armchair chemists and theorists who discuss ideas for new drugs and scour medical literature for forgotten molecules.
He said that some members of these groups interacted with Chinese manufacturers to discuss new drug ideas. “They get ideas from us,” he said. “We have direct contact with them.”
A source at a Chinese drug manufacturer confirmed to The Times that new drug ideas were introduced first to small dealers and users like Chemical Analyst to test their popularity. If a drug catches on, it might be introduced to the mass market, which continues to rapidly transform.
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Growing observational research suggests that long-term dietary patterns may influence Parkinson’s risk, age at onset and possibly severity of symptoms.
Mediterranean-style eating, in particular, has been associated with lower risk and possibly milder disease.
That said, there isn’t a single food that causes or prevents disease, according to Dr. Michael S. Valdez, a California-based physician with advanced training in neurology.
Growing observational research suggests that long-term dietary patterns may influence Parkinson’s risk, age at onset and possibly severity of symptoms. (iStock)
“When we talk about Parkinson’s and similar conditions, it helps to zoom out,” he told Fox News Digital. “In many cases, it’s the overall pattern over years that matters.”
The brain is especially sensitive to chronic inflammation, oxidative stress and vascular health, which is how well blood flows to brain tissue, according to the doctor.
BRAIN AND MEMORY ARE BOOSTED BY EATING ONE PARTICULAR DIET, STUDY FINDS
“Another key point is that neurodegenerative diseases develop slowly,” Valdez pointed out. “Changes in movement or cognition often appear years after underlying changes in the brain have already started.”
“That means lifestyle factors, including diet, are part of a much larger timeline that also includes genetics, environmental exposures, sleep and physical activity.”
Foods that could delay disease
No. 1: Mediterranean and MIND diets
Dr. Rebecca Gilbert, a seasoned neurologist and the chief mission officer at the American Parkinson Disease Association in New York, confirmed that the best foods for brain health are those that make up the MIND or Mediterranean diets.
“These diets emphasize whole grains, vegetables (especially green leafy vegetables), nuts, legumes and berries,” Gilbert told Fox News Digital. “Fish is the preferred animal protein, and olive oil is the preferred fat.”
Mediterranean-style eating, in particular, has been associated with lower risk and possibly milder disease. (iStock)
Studies have suggested that among those diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, adherence to the MIND or Mediterranean diets prior to diagnosis was associated with later onset of the disease, according to the doctor.
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“These diets are good for the brain because they are rich in antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory nutrients that keep neurons healthy,” she said. “The diets also support clean blood vessels to the brain, which provide adequate blood flow containing the nutrients and oxygen that neurons need.”
No. 2: Flavonoid-rich foods
“Blueberries, strawberries, apples, tea and red wine in moderation have been associated with lower PD risk in large cohorts,” Amanda Hare, an expert nurse practitioner in the field of neurology and movement disorders, who is also a medical liaison at Rune Labs, told Fox News Digital.
The South Carolina-based expert cited a Harvard study that found men with the highest flavonoid intake had about 40% lower disease risk.
“A responsible expert would place diet in that broader context rather than overselling any single food.”
“Anthocyanins — the pigments in red/purple berries — are the subclass with the most consistent signal,” she said. “These compounds have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and may cross the blood-brain barrier.”
No. 3: Coffee and caffeinated tea
Large studies have shown that regular coffee consumption is associated with lower Parkinson’s risk, according to Hare, although a direct cause can’t be proven.
Caffeine has been found to protect brain cells in animal studies by blocking a specific brain receptor called the adenosine A2A receptor, she said.
“The effect is stronger in men; hormone therapy appears to modify it in women,” Hare added.
Scientists have found early signs of the disease — clumps of a protein called alpha-synuclein — in the nerves of the digestive system. (iStock)
No. 4: Fatty fish and omega-3 sources
“Evidence is more suggestive than definitive, but diets higher in omega-3s – salmon, sardines, mackerel, walnuts and flaxseed – correlate with lower risk and may support general neuronal health,” Hare said.
YOUR DAILY COFFEE HABIT MAY PLAY A ROLE IN DEMENTIA RISK, STUDY FINDS
No. 5: Fiber and fermented foods
In some cases, Parkinson’s pathology may begin in the gut, and gastrointestinal symptoms, such as constipation, can precede diagnosis, experts agree.
Scientists have found early signs of the disease — clumps of a protein called alpha-synuclein — in the nerves of the digestive system.
Large studies have shown that regular coffee consumption is associated with lower Parkinson’s risk, according to Hare, although a direct cause can’t be proven. (iStock)
“Constipation is one of the strongest prodromal symptoms, often predating diagnosis by a decade or more,” Hare told Fox News Digital.
“Diets supporting a diverse gut microbiome – high fiber, fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi – are an active research area, though we don’t yet have randomized trial evidence that changing your microbiome changes Parkinson’s risk.”
Foods associated with higher risk
No. 1: Dairy (particularly milk)
“This is a consistent but still-debated finding,” Hare said. “Multiple large cohorts have found that higher milk consumption is associated with modestly elevated PD risk, particularly in men.”
The signal is specific to milk, she noted, as cheese and yogurt don’t show the same consistent association.
Recent research, including the Nurses’ Health Study in 2025, has linked high ultraprocessed food intake to higher odds of early Parkinson’s symptoms. (iStock)
No. 2: Ultraprocessed foods
Recent research, including the Nurses’ Health Study in 2025, has linked high ultraprocessed food intake to higher odds of early Parkinson’s symptoms. This supports broader evidence of processed foods’ association with systemic inflammation, Hare noted.
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No. 3: Pesticide exposure via diet
Exposure to paraquat and rotenone, which are toxic chemicals often used as pesticides, are among the strongest environmental risk factors for Parkinson’s, according to Hare.
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“Eating organic produce when possible … is a reasonable precaution, though the bulk of pesticide risk in the Parkinson’s literature relates to occupational exposure, not dietary,” she noted.
No. 4: Excess saturated fat and red/processed meat
“Associations exist, but are less robust than the dairy or ultraprocessed findings,” Hare said.
There are some limitations and caveats for all of these dietary risk associations, she noted.
“Associations exist, but are less robust than the dairy or ultraprocessed findings,” the expert said about red meat consumption. (iStock)
“Epidemiology does not equal causation,” she emphasized. “Nearly all of the above comes from observational studies.”
Lifestyle behaviors can also come into play – people who eat Mediterranean diets, for example, also exercise more, smoke less and have more resources.
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“Diet is one lever among several,” Hare noted. “Exercise has stronger evidence than any food for both preventing Parkinson’s and slowing progression. Sleep quality, cognitive engagement and avoidance of head injury also matter.”
“A responsible expert would place a diet in that broader context rather than overselling any single food.”
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