Deadly opioid carfentanil found in drugs in Nanaimo, B.C.

NANAIMO, B.C. – Police say the deadly synthetic opioid carfentanil has been found in Nanaimo, B.C.

RCMP say a white powder was recently seized when officers executed a search warrant, and tests done by Health Canada confirm the presence of carfentanil.

The opioid that is used as a sedative on large animals like elephants is more powerful than fentanyl, an opioid linked to more than 900 illicit drug overdose deaths in B.C. last year.

Health officials confirmed last week that the dangerous substance had been detected in street drugs in Metro Vancouver.

Const. Gary O’Brien says an amount of carfentanil as small as a grain of sand could be fatal.

Island Health is urging anyone who uses illegal drugs not to use alone, avoid using more than one drug at a time, and to carry naloxone.