RCMP warning Edmonton public of heroin laced with carfentanil

RCMP are warning the Edmonton and area public of heroin laced with carfentanil that they found during a drug investigation.

Police said a drug investigation in Strathcona County started in October 2016. The heroin seized by police was tested by Health Canada who found the heroin contained "the extremely dangerous and potentially lethal drug carfentanil."

No other information about the drug investigation is available at this time.

• 'Worst drug-safety crisis in history': Opioid carfentanil claims 15 lives in Alberta

Carfentanil is generally used for tranquillizing large animals and is said to be 100 times stronger than Fentanyl — which is 100 times more powerful than morphine. 

Carfentanil has been linked to more than a dozen deaths in Alberta. An Edmonton public health physician called carfentanil "the worst drug-safety crisis in history."

• 'It's a death sentence': Post-mortem test for carfentanil could reveal scale of opioid crisis