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
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.