Appearance of fentanyl-laced cocaine prompts warning from Victoria drug testing lab
A drug testing lab in Victoria is warning the public after multiple samples of cocaine were found to contain dangerous levels of fentanyl.
The street drug testing lab, Substance UVic, confirms that last week it had several cocaine tests coming back with potentially fatal levels of fentanyl in them.
According to service coordinator Piotr Burek, the lab issued a warning on social media Tuesday because of the rarity of cocaine having any fentanyl in it on Vancouver Island.
"We believe it’s a case of cross contamination," said Burek.
"It could still cause harm to someone who doesn’t know it's in their cocaine," he said.
Cocaine containing fentanyl has been responsible for large numbers of deaths during B.C.’s opioid crisis, according to the lab.
Fentanyl, however, is more often laced into street drugs such as heroin, which is why the lab says finding multiple positive cocaine samples in a week is rare.
The discovery comes as B.C. continues to be mired in a lengthy and tragic opioid crisis.
B.C.’s Chief Coroner, Lisa Lapointe, announced that in 2021 a staggering 2,224 people died from illicit drug overdoses.
The Substance UVic drug testing lab is in the North Park area of Victoria, along Cook Street.
It is part of a University of Victoria research project and is funded in part by Health Canada.
Testing is completely free and confidential.
Lab staff are encouraging anyone who may want to use cocaine in the Capital Region to have it tested due to the recent findings.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.