Four face charges after opioid pills disguised as Xanax seized by Edmonton police
About 3,700 opioid pills disguised to look like a brand-name antianxiety drug have been taken off the street after an Edmonton police investigation.
Police laid 23 charges, including possession for the purpose of trafficking, against four men.
The investigation into an Edmonton man believed to be trafficking drugs began in March, police said in a Wednesday news release. During the investigation, police identified three other suspects and four properties believed to be part of the trafficking operation.
Last Thursday the EPS drug unit carried out search warrants on the properties — two in Windermere, one in MacEwan and one in the Davies Industrial Area. Police also searched a vehicle. The warrants turned up ketamine, MDMA, cocaine, phenacetin and drug packaging and paraphernalia, as well as $12,600 in cash.
Police also seized 3,783 pills “disguised” as Xanax that are actually an analogue of the dangerous opioid fentanyl.
“They look like regular medications that doctors would prescribe,” said EPS drug unit Staff Sgt. Pierre Blais.
“Drug dealers are putting it in there to really reach out to an additional market of people.”
Blais said they have yet to receive lab results on the pills, but believe they are weaker than pure fentanyl.
“It’s about 20 per cent the strength of regular fentanyl,” he said. “Nonetheless though, you still can definitely overdose on that very easily.”
He said most powdered fentanyl tends to come from overseas, specifically China.
“The majority of it still comes from overseas, but I think I’d be naive to say there isn’t a chemist or two that could possibly make it here in Canada now,” he said.
Four men have been charged in the investigation. Angelino Angeles, 25, is charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking, simple possession and possession of the proceeds of crime under $5,000.
Gezelle Mendoza, 26, Chiiming Diep, 24, and Vernon Schwehr, 27, are all charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking. Diep is also charged with possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000 and two counts of simple possession, police said.