Montreal

Fentanyl drug lab dismantled in Dorval

Police are dismantling a drug lab in Dorval suspected of manufacturing fentanyl, a dangerous drug that has resulted in several fatal overdoses in Canada and the United States.

Opioid estimated to be 80 times as powerful as morphine

Police dismantled a suspected fentanyl lab in Dorval on Saturday. (Antoni Nerestant/CBC)

Police are dismantling a drug lab in Dorval suspected of manufacturing fentanyl, a dangerous drug that has resulted in several fatal overdoses in Canada and the United States.

Montreal police Const. Manuel Couture says investigators with the organized crime division are at the building on Lajoie Avenue near the corner of Cote de Liesse. 

Couture says a 41-year-old man was arrested this morning and is going to appear in court later today on drug trafficking and drug production charges.

Fentanyl is a strong opioid that doctors prescribe to help patients manage chronic pain.

It's estimated to be 80 times as powerful as morphine and hundreds of times more powerful than heroin, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health officials in Quebec City said earlier this month 11 people have overdosed, three fatally, after ingesting the narcotic in recent months.

Officials say they took counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl. 

Couture said Quebec provincial police are assisting with the investigation.