ALERT, which is an integration of city police and RCMP arrested five people after the $545,000 worth drug bust and according to the officials, the seizure marks the first time, the deadly drug have been found in Edmonton.
Fentanyl, which is a synthetic drug, is said to be far deadlier than heroin and have been linked to more than 100 deaths in Alberta. The drug which appears in the form of powder and pills, are also referred as ‘greenies’ when sold on streets.
ALERT officials said that the drugs which were manufactured to resemble Oxycontin, were transported inter-provincially in customized SUVs with hidden compartments. Three SUVs were seized along with 1,841 fentanyl pills, 2.6 kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of methamphetamine and 468 grams of MDMA.
The arrested five, 26 year old Oran Grant Soanes, Mitchell Fortin aged 25, Cleveland Black, 19, Adrian Cambiazo, 20 and Natasha Ponzey, 19, would face a minimum of 30 drug-related criminal charges.
Officials also found two firearms and $91,000 in cash. According to them, the seized fentanyl was worth $147,280. The most recent bust occurred on February 3 and March 18 at four Edmonton homes and at a rural property at Redwater Alberta.
Information released by RCMP, AHS and the Chief Medical Examiner last week states that illicit usage of fentanyl is causing an alarming number of deaths in Alberta. In Calgary, police have seized fentanyl 13 times since January and all over Alberta more than 88,000 fentanyl pills have been seized so far.
