Dozens of online advertisements offering nitazene — a synthetic opioid more potent than fentanyl or heroin — have been traced to Chinese-linked online stores and are targeting buyers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro, with sellers promising delivery via FedEx and DHL within days. An investigation by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) found the ads published on mainstream regional classifieds platforms, written in local languages, and offering prices as low as €105 for 10 grams, with payment accepted in cryptocurrency. The platforms removed the listings after being alerted, but experts at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime warn that nitazene detections in Europe tripled in 2023 and have been linked to overdose deaths, particularly when the drug is sold disguised as other substances such as oxycodone or heroin.