Source: Justin Parohl, Big Country 93.1 FM, March 3, 2016
An extremely dangerous new drug has been discovered in Alberta.
ALERT Spokesperson Mike Tucker says W-18 was believed to be fentanyl when it was seized during a drug bust in Calgary. “When it came back from the lab analysis it tested for W-18, which is a form of synthetic opioid. Fentanyl of course is another opioid. This was believed to have been developed in China.”
Tucker says W-18 is extremely lethal. “The killing power of W-18 is incomparable. It’s somewhere in the neighbourhood of 100 times more powerful than fentanyl, 10,000 times more powerful than morphine. I would suggest that anyone taking these pills is going to die.”
Tucker says it’s tough to say if the opioid has made its way to other parts of Alberta. “They only were aware of this because of the lab analysis that was completed. It’s very possible that we could see lab analysis come back for other pills and say W-18 was found. It’s something that we’re aware of. ALERT has made fentanyl investigations a priority.”
Tucker says anyone with information on suspected fentanyl traffickers should contact the RCMP or Crime Stoppers.