A total of 139 charges have been brought against ten Albertans as part of an active investigation into a fentanyl “super laboratory”, dismantled in the summer of 2021 by Alberta authorities.
Seven residents of Edmonton and three of Okotoks, aged between 19 and 55, have been arrested since the beginning of June and have been formally charged, The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) revealed on Wednesday.
The investigation began in February 2021 and led to the cessation of activities, in July 2021, of a laboratory capable of producing up to 10 kilograms of fentanyl per week.
Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams
ALERT estimates that it has confiscated the equivalent of more than $300 million, in market value, of drugs and ingredients intended for its production.
In fact, 31 kilograms of fentanyl were seized from the lab in rural Calgary, along with 7,600 kilograms of chemicals used in the development of the opioid. Twenty firearms and several vehicles were also seized.
Although the opioid crisis is being felt across Canada, British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario remain the hardest hit provinces. Indeed, according to figures from the Public Health Agency of Canada, 88% of all accidental deaths apparently related to opioid poisoning occurred in these three provinces.
Worryingly, a total of 29,052 “apparently linked” deaths from opioid use occurred between January 2016 and December 2021 across the country.
Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams
An 86% rate of accidental poisonings were caused by the presence of fentanyl in the substance consumed.
Remember that fentanyl is an analgesic included in the family of opioids.