The discovery, at an as-yet-unnamed location in the region, was announced by a senior officer on Thursday, September 25.
The Scottish Police Authority’s oversight board heard from Deputy Chief Constable Jane Connors, who said: “We actually had a nitazene lab in Ayrshire that policing found and it is the first one in the UK.
“We believe that having taken some of those presses and the pills off the market may well have contributed to a 41 per cent reduction in benzodiazepine, which is another type of drug that we’re focusing on.”
Nitazenes are high-strength synthetic opioids which are sometimes mixed into other drugs and can be highly dangerous due to their potency.
DCC Connors added: “The harm that drugs cause in our communities is absolutely huge.
“Some of the successes we have had are with serious and organised crime gangs that are using pill presses to produce tens of thousands of tablets.
“We have seen nitazenes and the potency of some of the chemicals that are used and we have talked before about the drug deaths that are linked to it.”
Nitazenes were detected in 38 drug deaths in Scotland between January and March 2025 alone.
And there is strong evidence that they have been linked to a number of later deaths in Ayrshire in recent months.
In June, Police Scotland revealed: “Near fatal overdoses and suspected drug-related deaths have increased in recent weeks across North Ayrshire – with an increase in the number of people who use drugs requiring emergency health care.
“Public Health Scotland is extremely concerned about the presence of synthetic substances like nitazenes in the unregulated drugs market.
“If someone is overdosing, call 999 straight away and ask for the Scottish Ambulance Service. Give as much information as possible.”
People using synthetic opioids have reported suddenly collapsing after smoking or injecting the drugs. Many become unresponsive and develop blue or pale lips as well as suffering seizures or fits.
Nitazenes are often believed to have reached markets in the west after being manufactured in China.
Their high strength, along with the fact drug users may not be aware of their presence in other substances, is what makes them dangerous.
Police Scotland said it was unable to provide further details on the major drug bust – including the location in Ayrshire and the time of the incident – at this stage.
