A warning from Provincial Police in the Northwest Region.
OPP say concerns have been raised there may be a batch of fatal street drugs circulating in the area.
“Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opioid,” says Detective Staff Sergeant Curtis Peckford. “You can’t see it. You can’t smell it. You can’t taste it. Fentanyl can be lethal in small quantities. If someone’s drug choice is mixed with or contains fentanyl, it can potentially kill them.”
“Methamphetamine is one of the most prevalent substances in the Canadian illicit drug market based on Health Canada,” says Sergeant Mike Golding. “Domestic abuse of methamphetamine has risen over the past five years, and it’s expected to continue to do so. In these small communities, the impacts are huge. We just recently had two suspected overdoses in the Nipigon area. It’s all across the region, and we want to make it a fact to say, listen, we’re not just going to stand by and watch this happen.”
Police say there have been ten fatal overdoses this year. Another 73 cases required emergency responders or the public to administer naloxone to save a person’s life
Golding notes Fort Frances has seen a high number of overdoses over the past few months.
“They have the highest rate of overdoses in the province. That’s unacceptable. Our job as a policing service is that we have to deal with this,” he emphasizes.
Earlier this week, 14 people were arrested following a four-month investigation called Project Ogden into a drug distribution network. Golding says there may be further related arrests.
“We have taken the position of focusing on organized crime groups rather than specific commodities like instead of just targeting fentanyl or targeting methamphetamine. Organized crime groups have the prepotency to deal with a variety of different commodities, so by going and dealing with the crime groups, you’re collectively addressing all the different variety of drugs.”
With the rise of overdose deaths, police warn if residents sell opioids to someone and they die, you can face charges of manslaughter or criminal negligence causing death.
Golding says whether they arrest one or two people, it has a sizeable impact on the distribution of drugs.
“Our communities are being impacted by these dangerous drugs, and when we get the opportunity, we’re going to put together an investigation, and we are going to stop this. This is killing people in our communities; brothers, sisters, fathers, daughters, mothers. It’s a lethal substance, and our goal is to eliminate it from our communities.”
“We will hold those people who are trafficking these harmful substances in our communities accountable for these deaths,” explains Chief Superintendent Bryan MacKillop. “Anytime that we disrupt a criminal operation, we send a very clear message that police will identify and aggressively pursue those individuals who threaten the safety of our citizens.”
Members of the public with information regarding the trafficking of illegal street drugs can contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or provide information anonymously by calling Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Online information can be provided at ontariocrimestoppers.ca.
