RCMP Discover Hidden Quebec Lab, Confiscate Pills Estimated to be 25 Times Stronger Than Fentanyl
The RCMP has dismantled a “clandestine” laboratory east of Montreal suspected of manufacturing hundreds of thousands of counterfeit pills thought to contain protonitazepyne, a synthetic opioid approximately 25 times more potent than fentanyl.
Officers also seized “significant quantities” of chemicals, one pill press, and sophisticated equipment used in the large-scale production of illicit pills.
Three homes in Sherbrooke and Dixville were also searched, the RCMP said.
The RCMP’s Federal Policing—Eastern Region Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit launched an investigation into the lab in May.
Some of the pills intercepted by officers during the investigation resembled legitimate blue oxycodone pills, bearing the inscription M/30.
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“Laboratory analysis showed, however, that unlike the original drug, the counterfeit pills contained protonitazepyne, a synthetic opioid around 25 times more potent than fentanyl,” the RCMP said. “This drug is a central nervous system depressant.”
Laboratory analysis is required to determine if there is protonitazepyne in the pills seized during the Aug. 1 raid, the RCMP press release said.
The four people arrested in connection with the raid have been “released pending further proceedings,” but may face charges at a later date for production and possession of controlled substances for the purpose of trafficking, the RCMP said.
Opioid-related deaths have risen sharply in Canada in recent years.
While opioid-related deaths have been climbing since 2016, they rose dramatically in 2020, the height of the pandemic, and have remained high ever since.
The majority of the opioid overdose deaths—87 percent—occurred in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario, and were largely due to fentanyl use, the report found.
