Carfentanil seized in Red Deer for first time

The lethal opioid Carfentanil has been seized in Red Deer for the first time.

Cpl. Robert Schultz with Red Deer RCMP says lab tests from Health Canada confirm that drugs seized in March in our city were a mixture of Carfentanil, fentanyl and caffeine.

The drugs were seized when a three-month joint investigation by Red Deer RCMP and ALERT led to search warrants at residences on White Avenue and Maxwell Avenue on March 8. Two men and two women were arrested and charged.

“Carfentanil is 100 times more toxic than fentanyl – its only legal use is to sedate large animals such as elephants,” says Schultz. “Because of its lethal level of potency, there is virtually no way, even in a controlled laboratory setting, to safely cut and dilute Carfentanil for use in the illicit drug trade. Drug users in Red Deer should be alarmed to know Carfentanil is in the hands of dealers who are almost certainly mixing it with other drugs or substituting it entirely.”

Police drug dealers often mix in or substitute Fentanyl and Carfentanil to make more money because they are inexpensive when compared to other drugs such as cocaine and heroin. This leads to users thinking they are buying one thing but getting Fentanyl or Carfentanil instead.

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“Drug dealers don’t care about your health – they’re looking for the biggest profit and they’re working in a system that is run by organized crime,” says Schultz. “Are these really the people you want to trust your life with?”

Three of the four people arrested in the March drug bust in Red Deer have trial dates scheduled. Catherine Nicole Campbell, 25, is booked for trial on Sept. 13 of this year while Steven Herman, 36, and Trina Boudreau-Pritchard, 28, will face trial Jan. 29 – 30, 2018.

Kim Proctor, 37, is due in Red Deer court for his next appearance on Thursday, June 8.

Proctor is an alleged associate of the Independent Soldiers gang. Herman is believed to be with the Red Scorpions.