(CALEDON, ON) – On February 11th, 2016 members from the Caledon OPP Street Crime Unit (SCU) and the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) executed a CDSA (Controlled Drug and Substances Act) warrant at a Village of Bolton residence.
While executing the warrant, officers located a quantity of drugs, believed to Oxycodone and Fentanyl inside the residence.
Barbara Margaret COUNTY, 63, from Caledon was arrested and charged with Trafficking of a Schedule IV Substance and 4 counts of Trafficking of a Schedule I Substance.
Nicholas Edward LASCELLE, 29, from Caledon was arrested and charged with Possession of a Schedule I Substance.
The accused persons were released and are scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice at a later date.
Fentanyl, like heroin, is an opiate. The drug has been connected with multiple deaths and overdoses across Canada. The drug was originally developed as an anesthetic used during surgery. Around the turn of the millennium it was made available as a small patch that allowed the medication to be released through the skin over time. It’s normally prescribed to patients with cancer and severe chronic pain.
Police agencies report that abusers tamper with the patches, scraping off and dividing the drug which produces more sales. Police agencies further report that they’re seeing fentanyl sold mostly as a powder, which can be mixed with other drugs, but it can also be smoked or injected. Some users have also been known to stick the patch under their tongues for rapid absorption.
The Caledon OPP would like to remind residents that unused medications should be dropped off at local pharmacies for disposal.