B.C. drug lab could have produced enough fentanyl to kill everyone in Canada 4 times
The amount of fentanyl necessary to cause a fatal overdose varies from person to person, but the generally accepted size of a potentially lethal dose is just two milligrams – about the size of a few grains of sugar.
During a recent bust at a drug lab in B.C.'s Fraser Valley, RCMP officers say they found enough raw material to produce 160 million doses of fentanyl that size.
The 320 kilograms of fentanyl that Mounties say the home lab could have produced would theoretically be enough to kill every single person in Canada four times over and still have enough of the drug to kill most of Ontario a fifth time.
The BC RCMP's Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement and Response team, which conducted the June 2 seizure, told CTV News the size of the bust is "typical" for its operations.
"The scale and quantity of illicit drugs and precursors seized in this case is consistent with most other takedown investigations," said a spokesperson in an email.
The BC RCMP's Federal Serious and Organized Crime (FSOC) unit said in a news release that the CLEAR team had located the "significant cache of chemicals used in synthetic drug production" during a search of a home on Extrom Road.
Among the items seized were 160 litres of propionyl chloride – which RCMP described as a "Class A precursor" – and more than 2,000 litres of "industrial solvents commonly used in the illicit production of synthetic drugs," police said.
Investigators also found "other signs that a clandestine laboratory was in the early stages of being constructed," according to police.
No arrests were made during the search, Mounties said, adding that charges have not yet been laid in the investigation.
"The recovery of these precursors represents a significant disruption to the illicit synthetic drug market," said Supt. Bert Ferreira, the officer in charge of the BC RCMP FSOC Border Integrity Program, in the news release.
"More importantly, this seizure prevents additional deadly drugs from harming our communities that continue to suffer from the opioid crisis."
Last year saw the most illicit drug overdose deaths ever recorded in B.C., and the first four months of 2022 put the province on pace to eclipse the record again.
There were 722 overdose deaths from January to April, an average of 180.5 per month or more than six per day.
Fentanyl was recorded in the systems of 83 per cent of those who died of overdoses in B.C. during the period.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.