2017 fentanyl seizures on track to surpass all of 2016, say police

There have been 43 seizures of fentanyl in Waterloo region but that number could more than double if police suspicions are correct.

• Opioid overdoses killed 38 people in Waterloo region in 2016
• 23 people died from opioid overdoses in first half of 2016, data shows

Police must send all drugs they suspect to be fentanyl to Health Canada for testing. Waterloo Regional Police are currently awaiting the results of drugs seized in 57 cases.

Fentanyl is a highly potent painkiller up to 100 times more powerful than heroin. It has been blamed in hundreds of accidental overdose deaths from Ontario to B.C. and healthcare workers in this province have called on the government to declare a state of emergency for the ongoing opioid crisis.

100 fentanyl seizures possible so far

If the suspected cases of fentanyl are in fact the drug, it would mean there have been 100 seizures of fentanyl in Waterloo region so far this year. That's compared to the 90 seizures in2016 and 12 in 2015.

• Mayors call for national strategy to tackle opioid crisis
• Fentanyl seizures explode in 2016 in Waterloo region

Those numbers are not a surprise considering the number of deaths related to fentanyl use in the region.

In total, 38 people died from opioid overdoses in 2016 in Waterloo Region, and in 24 of those deaths, fentanyl was involved.

In 2015, 23 people died of opioid overdoses and fentanyl was involved in seven deaths. Of the 22 fatal opioid overdoses in 2014, fentanyl was a factor in five.

Police and harm-reduction workers have warned fentanyl is often added to other street drugs, and since potency levels vary widelythe person taking the drugs often doesn'tknow if they're about to take a lethal dose.