Another B.C. police force warns users of particularly toxic strain of drugs

Police are warning the public about toxic drugs circulating in Abbotsford, B.C., joining a chorus of officials across the province voicing concern about the drug supply this week.

The Abbotsford police department said in a statement the drugs on the street are much more potent and the opioid crisis has worsened in the city.

Insp. Tom Chesley said police are concerned about the potential for an increase in overdoses and deaths.

Chesley said the drugs are disproportionately affecting people in their 20s.

Police are cautioning people to not use drugs alone and to use at one of the city's overdose prevention sites if possible.

Harm reduction groups in Fort St. John, B.C., issued a similar warning on Wednesday. The groups warned drug users about a particularly toxic strain of opioids being sold on the streets in the northeast of the province.

On Vancouver Island, police in Victoria on Thursday said a kilogram of fentanyl seized during an arrest last month was unusually potent and could have aggravated the province's worsening overdose crisis.

A suspect believed to be involved in the drug trade was arrested in the zero-block of Dallas Road on Oct. 21, and police took possession of the fentanyl at that time.

"The subsequent analysis of this kilogram of a controlled substance by Health Canada confirmed it has a concentration of 90 per cent fentanyl, which is rare and extremely troubling," acting Insp. Conor King said in a news release.

"Typically, samples are found to contain on average 10 per cent fentanyl. In 2019, only one sample in Canada tested above 75 per cent."

B.C. has seen several record-breaking months of overdose deaths in 2020, with more than 1,200 people dying so far this year.