Tusi ("Pink Cocaine") Charges in Miami

That makes the lab report the center of almost every tusi case.

Dennis Gonzalez Jr. is a former Miami-Dade prosecutor who has been defending people since 2012. Our office answers 24 hours a day.

For an overview of all drug charges, see Drug Crimes Defense.

Is Tusi Illegal in Florida?

Florida does not list tusi by name, but that does not make it legal. Florida's drug schedules cover controlled substances "by whatever official, common, usual, chemical, trade name, or class designated." If the powder contains a controlled substance, it is charged as that substance, whatever it was called when it was sold.

What Is in Tusi?

The street name does not tell you what is inside. In a 2024 New York case, a press release from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says that laboratory analysis of the "pink cocaine," "also known by the street name 'tusi,'" "indicated the presence of ketamine and MDMA." The same release says NYPD laboratory analysis of the "pink cocaine" from three sales "identified mixtures of ketamine and MDMA and ketamine alone." That release describes one investigation. It does not tell you what was in the powder in your case. Only a proper lab analysis of the actual powder can say what it is.

How Florida Charges Tusi: It Depends on the Lab

The charge follows the substance the lab identifies, under Florida's drug schedules, s. 893.13 (possession and sale), and s. 893.135 (trafficking). Two common examples:

A third-degree felony carries up to 5 years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Selling or delivering either substance near a school, park, child care facility, college, place of worship, convenience business, public housing, or certain treatment facilities is raised to a second-degree felony (up to 15 years). Buying is a third-degree felony for both.

If the lab finds a different controlled substance, such as cocaine, methamphetamine, or fentanyl, the rules for that drug apply instead, and some of those carry much heavier penalties. See Cocaine, Methamphetamine, and Fentanyl.

Tusi and Trafficking: Small Bags Can Add Up

Knowingly possessing a trafficking-weight amount can be charged as trafficking even without any sale. See Drug Trafficking Defense.

If the lab finds MDMA, Florida's "trafficking in phenethylamines" law can apply at just 10 grams, and trafficking is weighed by the total weight of the mixture, not the amount of MDMA in it. Separate bags of the same drug are added together.

That means a few small bags of powder can put someone in a mandatory-prison case. The weight, and whether every bag was actually tested, matter enormously.

Why the Lab Is the Whole Case

In a tusi case, we focus first on the lab, because the lab decides the charge:

• What was identified. A field test or a color is not a confirmed identification. Which substances did the crime lab actually confirm, and by what method?
• Which bags were tested. If there were several bags, were all of them tested, or was one tested and the rest assumed?
• How it was weighed. With or without packaging? Combined how? Is the number close to the 10-gram line?
• Chain of custody. Who handled the evidence, and is every step documented?
• The right substance, the right charge. A ketamine-only result cannot support an MDMA trafficking charge. We check that the charge matches the report.

Knowledge: "I Didn't Know What Was in It"

Because the street name does not tell you what is inside, people often do not know what they had. Under Florida law, knowing the illegal nature of a substance is not an element the State must prove at the start. Instead, lack of knowledge of the illegal nature of the substance is an affirmative defense you can raise. If you raise it, the law calls for the jury to be instructed on a permissive presumption: it may, but does not have to, infer from possession that you knew. This defense is about not knowing the substance was illegal. Not knowing which illegal drug was in the powder is a different issue. Florida's trafficking statute also says a person acts "knowingly" even if the listed drug actually possessed is different from the one intended. Knowledge issues are real, but they are technical. They need to be built into the defense early.

The Search Still Matters

However the police found the tusi, how they found it matters. If the search was illegal, the evidence can be thrown out, and without the powder there is no lab report. See Motions to Suppress.

Bond and Immigration

Judges consider the street value of the drugs when setting bond, and prosecutors may ask for a Nebbia (source-of-funds) hold. See Bond & Nebbia Hearings.

For non-citizens, a drug conviction, and sometimes a plea without a conviction, can lead to deportation or denial of residency or citizenship. See Immigration Consequences.

Related Drug Charges

Drug Trafficking Fentanyl Cocaine Methamphetamine Heroin Prescription Pills Marijuana & THC

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is tusi illegal in Florida?

Florida's drug statutes do not name tusi, but if the powder contains a controlled substance, such as ketamine or MDMA, it is charged as that substance.

Is "pink cocaine" the same as cocaine?

Not necessarily. The name does not tell you what is inside. In a 2024 case announced by the DEA, laboratory analysis of "pink cocaine" "indicated the presence of ketamine and MDMA." Your charge depends on what the lab finds in your case.

What is the charge for tusi, tuci, or tucibi?

It depends on the lab result. Possession of ketamine or MDMA is a third-degree felony. If MDMA is found, 10 grams or more of the mixture can be charged as trafficking.

Can a few small bags of tusi be trafficking?

Yes, potentially. If the lab finds MDMA, the total weight of the powder, with bags added together, counts toward the 10-gram threshold.

I didn't know what was in it. Is that a defense?

It can be. In Florida, lack of knowledge of the illegal nature of the substance is an affirmative defense. It is about not knowing the substance was illegal, not about which drug it turned out to be. It has to be raised and supported properly.

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