After dropping her daughter off at pre-school, Squamish mom Sarah Boten noticed something odd lying on the ground on her way home.
“I’m from the city. I know what things look like. That’s a baggy with stuff in it,” Boten told CTV News.
Since it was across from an elementary school and a busy kids zone, she grabbed it and took it home. On the advice of other parents, she contacted Squamish RCMP and asked them to pick it up.
Boten asked police to keep her updated. A few days later, they called back and told her the inside had tested positive for fentanyl. RCMP confirmed the findings with CTV though they weren't able to determine the potency of the potentially lethal drug.
Boten says she was worried a child could have picked up the package because it looked like candy.
“Fun dip or whatever [from] when you were little ... pixie sticks,” Boten explained.
RCMP strongly urge people not to touch or pick up suspicious items, but to report them immediately to "allow for safe handling, testing, and any messaging or public safety required."
Boten has spoken to other parents in Squamish and has been told they’ve had conversations with their eight- and nine-year-olds about it.
“You’re thinking, 'Maybe I don’t need to have these conversations with my kid because they live in a small town,' but clearly we do," said Boten.
