A drug 100 times stronger than fentanyl is in Kelowna

KELOWNA – A synthetic opioid nearly 100 times more potent than fentanyl has shown up in Kelowna.

RCMP say the drug W18 can be fatal in even small amounts and it was found in pills seized during a warehouse bust in West Kelowna on March 2.

The pills were disguised as oxycodone and percocet, according to a RCMP media release. Police are "significantly concerned" people using drugs like morphine, heroin and oxycodone will overdose if they aren't cautious.

A green oxycodone tablet marked CDN80 is of particular concern.

“It was discontinued, as a prescription tablet, in 2012 so virtually any encountered on the street today are counterfeit and will contain fentanyl and/or other potent synthetic opioids such as W18,” RCMP drug expert Cpl. Eric Boechler says in the release. “People need to know this drug is deadly, it's a ticking time bomb.”

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