APTN News
Emergency crews and police in southern Alberta are warning the public about a potent batch of street drugs, following an alarming week of overdose reports.
In the span of eight days, emergency services in Lethbridge have responded to 42 overdose calls – 16 of those calls happened on Friday alone.
Police say the drug is likely carfentanil – a substance 100 times more toxic than fenantyl.
Police in the neighbouring community of the Blood Tribe are also warning tribe members about the drug.
The community has experienced 14 overdoses since Friday.
“Those numbers are out of the ordinary and we have made a call out to the community to solicit information,” said Farica Syrette, of the Blood Tribe Police.
A supervised consumption site is scheduled to open in Lethbridge later this week.
For now, users are encouraged to have an overdose plan, know how to use a naloxone kit and to never use alone.
Lethbridge police say their priority now is to target the suppliers and stop the drug from entering any communities.
