Fraser Valley (with files from Canadian Press) – Surrey RCMP have issued a warning about high-potency drugs circulating in that city and potentially the rest of the Fraser Valley.
Surrey Mounties have responded to five suspected overdose deaths in seven days.
The statement says RCMP are aware of a mixture of the powerful opioid fentanyl and benzodiazepines, a class of depressant drugs.
B.C. health authorities including BCDC (and various OPS organizations who have mentioned this potential to FVN) say the mix carries a high risk of overdose, as benzodiazepines do not respond to life-saving naloxone.
Street doses of fentanyl can come in various forms, colours and textures. In this case, it may be pressed into a pill form than can resemble a prescription drug.
The RCMP say the potency of fentanyl can vary significantly, even if it has been purchased from the same dealer and looks the same as previous doses.
In the past, drug alerts that are issued in Surrey and New West have spread into the Fraser Valley.
