Border seizure of fentanyl from China diverts deadly drug from Windsor streets
When border agents in Vancouver last week intercepted a suspicious parcel headed for Windsor, they prevented about 140,000 doses of a potentially deadly drug from reaching local streets.
Inside the package from China were 14 grams of fentanyl, a synthetic opiate 100 times more powerful than morphine. The parcel was addressed to a home on Mitchell Crescent in South Windsor. RCMP raided the house Monday and arrested two people.
Mark John Ryn, 25, and Beth Ann Vanderlinder, 27, are to appear in a Windsor courtroom today on drug charges including importing, conspiring to import and possessing an illegal substance.
The intercepted drug was in crystalline form.
“It’s such a potent drug,” said RCMP Cpl. Louise Savard. “It’s very dangerous.”
The drug is usually prescribed in patch form, used by cancer patients and others in severe pain.
The newest street version comes in different, more dangerous forms, explained Windsor police Const. Andrew Drouillard. If fentanyl powder gets into the air, it can be accidentally inhaled or absorbed through the skin, causing an overdose. Even small amounts can slow your heart rate, affect breathing and cause seizures, coma and death.
“It could be a small grain of sand you get that could be deadly,” Drouillard.
Windsor police were not involved in the latest bust. But they are paying close attention.
The latest bust suggests there is a direct pipeline between Windsor and drug labs in China.
“Street-level drugs are always difficult to trace back to the source,” Drouillard said.
“It’s important for us to share information between our police partners about what’s going on to keep everyone safe.”
Windsor police last fall conducted an undercover investigation targeting fentanyl and crystal methamphetamine. The 12-week investigation targeted street-level dealers and their mid-level suppliers. The probe was successful in that it allowed police to get a better handle on the illicit drug scene locally, Drouillard said.
Most of the fentanyl found on Windsor’s streets is in patch form, Drouillard said. The presence of powdered fentanyl is an “alarming” discovery, he said.
Fentanyl in its solid form is more powerful and volatile than the liquid-infused patch. It is often cut with other drugs like heroin, cocaine and oxycodone, making the combined effect unpredictable.
Across Canada, fentanyl abuse is a growing cause of death. In 2015, the latest year for which statistics are available, fentanyl was responsible for 165 deaths across the province.
Drug trafficking has serious impacts on community safety, Drouillard said. It leads to increases in a wide spectrum of violent acts and property crimes.