Sarnia police are warning the public about the dangers of Fentanyl after the drug was discovered in a raid back in April.
Originally it was thought that the drug discovered was heroin, but on Tuesday Health Canada forwarded a report confirming that it was actually Fentanyl.
Fentanyl powder is an extremely potent synthetic opioid used legally in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical prescription drugs for the treatment of acute and chronic pain.
It has been at the centre of opioid crisis across the country within the last year; It is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 40 times more potent than heroin.
Police say that there has been a dramatic increase in the illegal importation of Fentanyl powder from countries like China to the western provinces of Canada and more recently to Ontario.
The various forms of the drug present a danger as users may be unaware that they are consuming Fentanyl.
The pure powder is trafficked onto the streets in various forms:
- pure fentanyl powder
- mixed with illicit street drugs (heroin, cocaine)
- sold under the name of other illicit street drugs
- mixed into counterfeit pharmaceutical pills (OxyContin, Percocet, MDMA)
