Vancouver police have issued a public warning after finding the deadly drug carfentanil during an arrest in the Downtown Eastside.
The highly dangerous opioid was discovered after police responded to a report of a man with a firearm near Powell Street and Heatley Avenue on Sept. 20.
Officers searched the suspect and found a can of bear spray and several grams of what they believed to be heroin, samples of which were sent to Health Canada for analysis. On Tuesday, the results confirmed the drugs contained traces of carfentanil.
"Carfentanil is believed to be 100 times more toxic than fentanyl," the Vancouver Police Department cautioned in a release. "Police are warning opioid drug users, and anyone associated with them, to be aware of the signs of overdose."
Early opioid overdose signs include severe sleepiness, a slow heartbeat, troubling breathing, cold and clammy skin, and troubling walking or talking.
Anyone who sees someone who's believed to have taken drugs exhibiting any of those signs is urged to call 911 immediately. Police also urge anyone who uses drugs to avoid injecting, snorting or swallowing them alone.
B.C. Premier Christy Clark sounded the alarm about carfentanil last week while in Ottawa calling on the federal government to do more to combat the drug crisis.
"It's the drug used by vets to sedate elephants. They recently intercepted a million lethal doses on the way to Calgary – that's what we're dealing with," Clark said. "We need boots on the ground."
For more information on opioids, visit the VPD’s Know Your Source website.
