Fentanyl found in cocaine sample, Durham police say

Three days after police issued a warning about the "devastating impact" related to fentanyl, they say traces ofit werefound in cocaine seized at the scene of a near-fatal overdose.

In a statement issued Thursday, Durham Regional Police said its officers helped paramedics in Ajax with a man last weekend "who had become unresponsive after inhaling cocaine."

They said a sample of the drug was sent for testing and that fentanyl, "a powerful synthetic opioid 40 times more potent than heroin," was found in the sample.

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They say investigators are trying to determine if this incident is related to other reported overdoses in Durham Region last weekend.

Fentanyl was originally developed as an anesthetic used during surgery. Around the turn of the millenniumitbecame available asa small patch the size of a Band-Aid that allowed the medication to be released through the skinover time. It is typically used used treatpatientswith cancer and severe chronic pain.

Police say those patchessellon the street for $200 each.They say abusers tamper with the patches, scraping off and dividingthe drug to produce more sales.