Deadly drug carfentanil found in city
City police seized a deadly drug called carfentanil after stopping a vehicle at Parkhill Rd. W. and Monaghan Rd. Oct. 24.
Marijuana and a powdered substance were found. Police sent the unknown powder to Health Canada for testing, and learned Wednesday evening that it was 0.7 grams of carfentanil, a tranquilizer intended for use by veterinarians dealing with large animals, including elephants.
It’s 10,000 more times potent than morphine, police say.
“Exposure to a very small amount of this drug, about the size of a grain of salt or 20 micrograms, could be fatal though inhalation and ingestion,” stated Deputy Chief Tim Farquharson in a press release issued Thursday. “There is also concern due to the fact that it can be absorbed through the skin.”
Farquharson is a member of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police Substance Advisory Committee, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Drug Advisory Committee and the Central East Opiod Strategy Task Force.
It’s the first time the drug has been seized in Peterborough, although police have been concerned about it being present here for some time.
“We are warning recreational drug users that this potentially fatal drug is now in our city,” he stated. “Fentanyl is an additive or cutting agent in virtually all street drugs. The potential for carfentanil to also be present in common street drugs is very much a real threat.”
Three people face charges in connection with the Oct. 24 traffic stop.
Khalid Omer, 20, of Galahad Dr., Oshawa, was charged with possession of carfentanil and possession of marijuana under 30 grams.
Jillian Cianna Halley, 20, of Galahad Dr., Oshawa, was charged with possession of carfentanil and possession of marijuana under 30 grams.
Keniel Anthony McLaughlin, 22, of Hewitt Cres., Ajax, was charged with possession of carfentanil and possession of marijuana under 30 grams.