(ALLISTON, ON) – Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have charged 19 area residents following a lengthy investigation into fentanyl trafficking and abuse in several Simcoe County communities.
At a news conference today, members of the OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau (OCEB) and the Community Drug Action Team (CDAT) revealed details of illegal trafficking and potentially-lethal abuse of fentanyl and other prescribed medications.
Usually found in patch form for slow release, fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opioid prescribed to manage acute and chronic pain. Fentanyl is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 40 times more potent than heroin. According to the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario, from 2009 to 2011, there have been an estimated 253 deaths in Ontario (36 in 2013) linked to acute drug toxicity, specifically involving Fentanyl – second only to deaths attributed to the more widely-prescribed oxycodone. Because the patch is made for slow release, scraping off the medication and smoking it or extracting the drug from the patch can make a single patch lethal.
Project DAISY began in May 2013 as an OPP Joint Forces CDAT investigation of at least two deaths and several other illegal activities linked to the acquisition and distribution of fentanyl patches in the Nottawasaga Detachment area and other communities in Simcoe County. The deaths of two other people are also suspected of being fentanyl-related.
Simcoe-Muskoka District Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Charles Gardner, also attended the news conference to remind the public of the risks associated with prescription drug abuse and the options for safe disposal of unwanted or outdated medications. Police added the Controlled Drug and Substances Act prohibits anyone from possessing any prescribed medication without a prescription. It is a criminal offence to offer or sell a prescribed medication to another person. Purchasing another person’s prescribed drugs is also illegal.
During November 4-5, 2013, police executed 19 arrest warrants and laid 172 Criminal Code (CC) and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) charges. During the project, police seized:
During the takedown, police seized:
208 patches and 100 Oxycontin Pills – With a street value of $44,920
Aerosol Weapon (Bear Spray)
Marihuana – With a street value of $17,000
$1400 in cash
A GMC pick-up truck has also been seized and is part of an ongoing Proceeds of Crime investigation.
The names and ages of those charged under the Criminal Code of Canada (CC) and the Controlled Drug and Substances Act (CDSA) are appended to this media release as ADDENDUM OF CHARGED PERSONS – Project Daisy.
Six of the accused made their first appearance at the Ontario Court of Justice in Barrie on November 6, 2013. The remainder of those charged are expected to make their first appearance in December 19, 2013.