'Russian roulette': drug dealers have no idea what they're selling, RCMP say

The RCMP are once again warning the public about the lethal effects of designer drugs, which Sgt. Marc Fortin of the RCMP's crime reduction unit describes as unregulated chemicals unfit for human consumption.

Fortin said designer drugs are an attempt by "wannabe chemists" to stay ahead of the law.

"Designer drugs are made in illegal labs, mostly in China," Fortin said. "Those chemists alter the chemical structure of these drugs, and give them a different name, so they can cross borders and enter drug markets around the world. Because they are a new substance, they won't be a banned substance in those countries."

While RCMP in New Brunswick haven't encountered many amateur chemists making such drugs the province, it is a growing global trend.

"I wouldn't say that they are extremely prevalent, but the explosion of the internet in the last 10 years, it's made the products much more available," he said.

Implicated in Saint John death

Earlier this week, a judge found Richard Valiquette guilty of criminal negligence causing the drug-related death of 17-year-old Gavin Adams.

The 28-year-old gave Adams the designer drug 25-i the night Adams disappeared on Dec. 14, 2013.

Two days later, Gavin Adams's body was found partially buried in snow in a Saint John parking lot by a search-and-rescue team.

The drug 25-i "is a derivative of the 2-ci that was there a few years ago, and that the U.S. just outlawed in October," Fortin said.

"So it's kind of that cycle, where dealers try to circumvent law enforcement efforts by creating new substances.

"It's up to us to keep on top of them."

Buyers in dark

It's important to rememberthat the drugs are made in illegal labsby people who aren't trained, Fortin said.The drugs are not regulated, and there isno quality control in their production.

"You really have no idea what you are ingesting or putting in your mouth," he said.

He said police have tested some seized substances and found they were an entirely different substance than what the dealers claimed.

"A lot of the time, even the manufacturers don't even know what they're selling," he said.

"So you're really playing Russian roulette with your life every time you're ingesting these substances."