Toxic chemicals connected to fatal drug poisonings have been found in street level drugs in a community north of Edmonton, police say.
Lab results from an analysis of drugs seized by police showed fentanyl had been mixed with hazardous substances including flubromazepam, chlorofentanyl and benzodiazepine and caffeine, Westlock RCMP said in a news release Wednesday. It also found lidocaine or methamphetamine mixed with caffeine after analysis of drugs that had been seized dating back to the end of April.
Combining these substances makes drugs more dangerous than what any person buying street drugs may expect or anticipate, police warned. Mixing some drugs with alcohol poses a serious danger and could render the user unconscious, or even kill them.
“Flubromazepam is considered new to the Westlock community and is known to be associated with overdoses and deaths,” the news release says.
“These deaths are in addition to the deaths already related to fentanyl and the opioid pandemic. These drugs could represent a serious threat to someone handling it without taking appropriate health and safety precautions.”
Emergency workers in Edmonton have reported a dramatic increase in accidental opioid poisonings linked to a dangerous drug supply in recent months.
The number of Albertans dying from accidental drug poisoning grew by more than 41 per cent between January and May compared to the same time last year. Edmonton
Westlock RCMP is asking the public to report any criminal or suspicious activity so they can know where and who to look for, and where to patrol in the future. Anonymous tips can be made through Crime Stoppers.
Westlock is about 90 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
Tags: New Drug Trends Opioid Crisis
