Olds RCMP say so far, they haven't seen carfentanil -- the drug that's said to be 100 times deadlier than fentanyl – in Olds, but they're watching for it.
Carfentanil was detected in the deaths of two men in their 30s in the past year -- one in Calgary and the other in the Edmonton area.
Carfentanil is not only 100 times deadlier than fentanyl, it's also said to be 10,000 times more deadly than morphine and is used as a tranquillizer for elephants and bears.
“An amount as small as a grain of sand could be lethal,” a provincial government statement says.
“We haven't seen that here yet,” Cpl. Mike Black of Olds RCMP said during an interview with the Albertan.
Fentanyl itself is known to have killed users in some cases.
Black confirmed fentanyl is in Olds and area so they're keeping an eye out.
“There is fentanyl in Olds. There is fentanyl in the Olds area,” Black said, but he said so far, “it's not an overpowering issue.”
The only arrest in Olds involving fentanyl that he could recall occurred in May 2015.
Black said in addition to carfentanil, police are watching out for other drugs said to be equally powerful and on their way to Canada.
He said RCMP have specially trained drug experts who can be called in to test for those and other drugs whenever anyone is arrested on suspicion of drug impairment.
"We haven't seen that here yet." CPL. MIKE BLACKOLDS RCMP
