HAMILTON — Police in Hamilton say a bottle seized last month, that was suspected to contain a liquid form of the deadly opioid fentanyl, actually contained the more powerful drug carfentanil.
Officers seized the drug on Nov. 5 after the person who had the bottle turned it over to police, saying they were aware of the dangers of liquid fentanyl.
The seized bottle — in the form of an unmarked nasal inhaler — was sent for analysis, and police say they were notified on Friday that it was actually carfentanil.
More than 500 overdose deaths in Ontario in the past five years have been linked to fentanyl, and carfentanil is 10,000 times stronger that morphine and 100 times that of fentanyl.
Health officials in Alberta said earlier this month that carfentanil has been linked to 15 drug overdose deaths during the last few months, with 14 of those deaths occurring between September and the end of November.
Police say drug dealers are adding fentanyl to other drugs they sell — like cocaine and counterfeit oxycodone tablets — to increase their profits and this is increasing the number of overdoses and deaths as people unwittingly use a drug that's stronger than they expect.
"It is important for the community to know the dangers of taking unknown amounts of drugs," Hamilton police said Friday.
"The public is encouraged to report any information regarding trafficking or the importation of fentanyl, in any form," they said in a release.
