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
Canada, G7 urge 'all parties' to de-escalate in growing Mideast conflict
Canada called for "all parties" to de-escalate rising tensions in the Mideast following an apparent Israeli drone attack against Iran overnight.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
Taylor Swift drops 15 new songs on double album, 'The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology'
On Friday, the pop star released her 11th album and at 2 a.m. Eastern, she released "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology," featuring 15 additional songs.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.