Those pills can kill, RCMP warn drug users following fentanyl seizure

Island RCMPare advising people who use illicit drugs to use abuddy systemfor their own safety, following the discoveryon P.E.I. of thousands of fake painkillers laced with fentanyl.

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"Our first advice would be don't use drugs, but there are people that will still continue to make that choice," said Sgt. LeanneButler, Queens RCMP. "So we are suggesting that maybe if you're doing that be in a place where somebody is sober and able to call for EMS if you need them."

Island RCMPnow have equipment on hand to test pills seized in drug busts, to determine the presence of fentanyl. That equipment was used to confirm thepotentially deadly drug in thousands of pills seized in Queens County is recent weeks.

It marks the first time illicit fentanyl has been seized on P.E.I., said RCMP.

'Fake' pills

RCMPbelieve the pills were manufactured in illicit drug labs in Quebec, and were brought to P.E.I. through New Brunswick.

The pills look like brand-name pharmaceuticals, Oxycontin, Xanax and Percocet. But police warn the amount of fentanyl in the tablets can vary with deadly results.

"They're not using a chemical mixture like they would at a pharmaceutical company. There's no quality control in these labs," said Cpl. Andy Cook, the Island RCMPfentanyl specialist."So one pill might have none in it. The next pill might have enough to kill an elephant."

Police believethe fake pills are intended to fool law-enforcement agencies.

"I've seen theXanaxpills for instance. They were very close," said Cook. "Someone can tell you that they have a prescription for it and that may be good enough to get by."

'You're taking your life in your own hands'

Police also believe illicit drug users on P.E.I. are aware that fake pills contain fentanyl.

"Originally when we were seeingfentanylstart in the western provinces, people didn't know what they were getting," said Cook. "But I've talked to people here on the Island, informants and what not, and people know these drugs containfentanyland you're taking your life in your own hands if you're consuming these drugs."

Police say now P.E.I.'s drug treatment programs will prove their worth.

"It is certainly concerning that it is here," said Cook. "But I think P.E.I. is probably still in better shape than other provinces because our opiate population is way down because of the methadone programhere."

In P.E.I., there was one death linked to fentanyl in 2015, and two deaths linked to fentanyl between 2005 and 2014.

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