WESTLOCK – Westlock RCMP are warning the public of dangerous substances found in street level drugs following lab results on illicit substances seized during a recent arrest.
Media relations officer Corporal Teri-Ann Bakker says that substances were seized during an April 27 arrest and sent to a lab for analysis to determine if the substances fall under the Controlled Substances Act.
“In this case the drug results came back and the lab results show that drugs are coming back with additional things outside of what street level drugs are expected to have with them,” said Bakker. “We want to warn the public when those come back in these different areas for their own safety if they are not expecting these other drugs or contaminants to be in the street level drugs they are using. It’s for their safety so they know what’s in there.”
Hazardous substances were found in the seized drugs including fentanyl, chlorofentanyl, and flubromazepam. Fentanyl was found mixed with benzodiazepine, caffine, and lidocaine while chlorofentanyl and flubromazepam were found mixed with fentanyl, methamphetime, and caffine, which can be lethal if consumed.
“Because this one poses a serious threat to someone handling it, including death especially if it’s mixed with alcohol, we just want to warn the public for their own safety,” said Bakker.
RCMP report that flubromazepam is new to the Westlock area and is commonly associated with overdoses and deaths in other areas.
Bakker says opioid use has been on the rise through the COVID-19 pandemic and only continues to grow across Alberta. The introduction of other dangerous substances into opioids such as fentanyl and synthetic substances such as chlorofentanyl, and flubromazepam have only increased the number of overdoses being reported by RCMP
“We attend many overdose related deaths due to fentanyl, and now with synthetic opioids being in there and being mixed with other things the chance of causing death is there and we just want to share that there are these other substances in street level drugs here in Westlock. If we seized it, then it means it could be on the street.”
Bakker reminds the public that Naloxone kits can be obtained for free by contacting Alberta Health and can be used to prevent overdoses via injection or nasal spray.
