Bath salts, a powerful stimulant police have linked to several violent incidents, has surfaced in B.C. for what is believed to be the first time, according to police.

RCMP in Duncan, B.C. seized the drug, along with marijuana, meth, ecstasy, cocaine and $30,000 in cash after a man fell asleep in his car near Nanaimo on Sunday.

Many people heard about bath salts for the first time after a bizarre face-eating attack in Miami. The drug was initially blamed for the assault, but authorities later determined the accused was on marijuana, not bath salts. 

The drug started appearing in eastern Canada and Ontario a few months ago and in Alberta in June, but police believe this is the first time it has surfaced in B.C.

B.C.’s chief medical health officer Perry Kendall said there’s a long list of problems associated with the drug.

"They're made in back-street laboratories and they can be full of all sorts of contaminants. We’ve seen with ecstasy and MDMA people dying, so not knowing what's in them does pose a risk,” he said.

The drug, however, is currently legal in Canada because it's specifically formulated to give people the high of cocaine or methamphetamine with chemicals that aren't technically illegal. The federal government says the drug won't come under the same category as heroin or cocaine until the fall.

Federal health minister Leona Aglukkaq said in June the government does recognize the drug is dangerous.

"The danger these drugs pose are both physical and mental, including severe panic attack, anxiety and psychosis,” she said.

Bath salts are also a growing problem in the U.S., prompting a nationwide crackdown in more than 100 cities that netted five million packets of the drugs, as well as ingredients to make more.

The 43-year-old Esquimalt man has been released from police custody, but is due back in court Dec. 18 to face charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Police said the bath salts will be tested to see if they contain any illegal substances and are also recommending his vehicle be seized under Proceeds of Crime legislation.