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
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.