Fentanyl found on P.E.I.
RCMP confirm fentanyl in several types of pills from two different drug seizures
Fentanyl has arrived in P.E.I. On Friday, the RCMP confirmed testing of pills from two different seizures in P.E.I. contained the powerful and often deadly painkiller fentanyl. RCMP Cpl. Andy Cook said the police in P.E.I. knew the drug was coming to the province.
“Our first exposure to it came in a big way,” he said.
Fentanyl is responsible for hundreds of deaths across the country in recent years, including at least two overdoses in P.E.I. since 2012.
It is 100 times more powerful than morphine, and an amount the size of a few grains of salt can be lethal.
In some cases, fentanyl gets mixed with other drugs or is used in place of them and made to look like other pills, such as Oxycontin.
The drug can be legally used as a potent painkiller and is sold in patches.
Cook said the RCMP tested pills last week from two previous seizures and found fentanyl and furanyl fentanyl in three different types.
Furanyl fentanyl is similar to fentanyl.
The RCMP found fentanyl in a green pill with markings similar to Oxycontin, a blue pill with “Percocet” and “5” stamped on it and Xanax pills that were white, yellow or green. Fentanyl is so deadly that drug enforcement teams that deal with it wear protective suits when handling it.
The drug can be absorbed through the skin and people can breathe in its dust making it potentially lethal for anyone who comes into contact with it, even unintentionally.
That lethality is why police officers across the province have started carrying naloxone nasal spray kits, which can be used on people who overdose on fentanyl. Paramedics, hospital emergency department staff, sheriffs and staff at the Provincial Correctional Centre also have access to naloxone.
Cook said he doesn’t foresee fentanyl becoming as big of a problem in P.E.I. as it is in other provinces because the number of users isn’t as high with the methadone program helping replace the use of opiates.
He also said the police plan to continue preventative work and education programs.
“We’ll continue to stress to everyone that this is an extremely dangerous drug,” Cook said.