BARRIE, Ont. — Police say five people who overdosed after using what they believed was cocaine at a party in a city north of Toronto, actually took heroin laced with the deadly opioid fentanyl.
They say four men and a woman were taken to a hospital early on Oct. 2 after collapsing in various locations in downtown Barrie, Ont.
Investigators say the five had been at a party and believed they had taken cocaine.
Police say toxicology reports have confirmed that all five took a combination of heroin and fentanyl.
A 20-year-old Kingston, Ont., man is facing numerous drug-related charges, including trafficking in fentanyl and conspiracy to import fentanyl, and a 22-year-old Barrie man is charged with similar offences.
Police say fentanyl, an opioid about 100 times more toxic than morphine, has been linked to nearly 580 deaths in the province in the past five years.
