Police release name, phone number of alleged drug dealer
Health concerns after overdoses in Saskatoon
SA SK ATOON • Police took the unusual and drastic step on the weekend of releasing the cellphone number of a drug dealer suspected of selling a deadly mix of cocaine and fentanyl that left two people dead and four others in hospital.
On Monday, Saskatoon Police said they believe three people arrested over the weekend may be responsible for allegedly distributing the substance. “We believe we have the right people in custody,” said Supt. David Haye.
Police had earlier warned anyone who may have purchased cocaine from a drug dealer named “Lil Joe” or “Joe Bro,” or have contacted a dealer with the number 306881-7300, that the drug they purchased could be laced with fentanyl, in a quantity that may be lethal. Haye said that since the arrests, police have not received any more calls for fentanyl overdoses.
Haye said that in order to make members of the public aware of the potentially deadly substance, police released the street name and the phone number of the drug dealer suspected of supplying the drugs. He said it’s not uncommon for dealers to share street names or cellphones, but notes that all three of the people arrested are not from Saskatchewan.
He said it was “unprecedented” for police to release such information, but said it was done in consultation with both provincial and federal Crown prosecutors. The cellphone in question is now in police custody, he said.
“This is brand new to us,” Haye said. “We believe we’re following the spirit of the federal Good Samaritan act where the act itself provides some safety from charging people who report an overdose.
“We believe that the public-safety interests are of the greater need here,” he said.
Haye said while city police are aware of other places in Canada where cocaine has been cut with fentanyl, he believes it’s the first time the practice has been seen in Saskatoon.
“Why they do it, I can speculate, but I’m not sure,” he said.
Anyone who believes they have the substance in their possession were asked to bring it forward to police and Haye said they won’t face charges as a result.
“People who are addicted to drugs, they need treatment and they don’t need charges.”
Saskatoon police are in contact with other forces about the suspected substance and have also been in contact with the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
Emergency responders were called to three separate locations between 7: 30 and 10: 30 a. m. on Saturday for 911 calls. At about 7:30 a.m., at the first home, they found two men aged 21 and 24 suffering from apparent drug overdoses. They were taken to hospital where they are now recovering, police said
PUBLIC-SAFETY INTERESTS ARE OF THE GREATER NEED HERE.
in the release.
Responders were then called to another home at around 9:45 a.m. Saturday. There, they found a man and woman, aged 27 and 31, also suffering from apparent drug overdoses. The man has since died and the woman is in hospital.
Responders were called to a third home at 10: 30 a.m. There, they found two women, aged 25 and 48. The older woman has died and the 25- year- old woman, found unresponsive, is in hospital.
That night, police arrested a 29- year- old man at about 10:15 p.m. Them an faces a charge of trafficking a controlled substance.
Police arrested another man shortly after midnight and he faces a charge of trafficking a controlled substance, police said in the release. Police, including members of the Tactical Support Unit, searched another home, where a second 29- year- old man was arrested.