Cocaine is still the drug of choice in the city, but an undercover detective with Greater Sudbury Police Service's narcotic unit said there's a new drug that is coming, and it's “very deadly.”
To date this year, Greater Sudbury Police Service has seized 1,183 grams of crack cocaine and 4,100 grams of powder cocaine, said the officer, whose name can't be published in order to protect his identity.
Fentanyl patches are still a major issue for police, he said. So far this year, police have seized 607 fentanyl patches and have made two major arrests of individuals who were moving a large quantity of patches into the city.
“When talking to people who are addicted to fentanyl patches, it's scary,” he said. “It's very addictive, and they call it the demon drug, because it takes over a person's life. Their addiction is so strong, they can't get off the drug, and they are doing anything possible to get money to buy it.”
It's becoming more difficult to get fentanyl patches now, because you need a prescription for it, he said. That's why they sell for $500 to $600 a patch.
And, while there hasn't been a great deal of it here, fentanyl powder and fentanyl pills containing W-18 have been seen in Greater Sudbury, he said.
W-18 is a powerful opioid 100 times stronger than fentanyl and 10,000 times stronger than morphine. It's being produced in China, with the majority of it coming into Canada through ports in B.C., said the undercover officer.
According to reports, a tiny speck of W-18 can cause respiratory depression and can kill you. In fact, W-18 has been blamed for a number of deaths in Alberta. According to Alberta Health, 213 overdose deaths in 2015 involved W-18.
“We're learning about W-18 along with the rest of society as it starts to take over, especially out West,” said the officer. “We haven't seen it come through Sudbury in a large quantity yet. I was present for one (of two confirmed seizures) executed in May this year, and five pills were found. They resemble the old 80mg Oxycontin pills.”
Police executed a third seizure, and the pills are pending confirmation of containing W-18 from Health Canada, he said.
Powdered fentanyl comes from Asia, he said, and police are still learning more about it, too. It's not something officers have seized a lot of, and right now it's more of a waiting game.
“It's coming, and it's very scary, because it's difficult to detect, and it's very, very deadly,” he said.
He has had one encounter so far with fentanyl powder, and it resulted in an overdose.
The abuse of prescription medications is still very common on the streets of Greater Sudbury, he said, with drugs selling for about $3 a milligram. Officers have seized close to 5,000 prescription pills.
The drug of choice a few years ago, oxycodone, is a rare sight these days, “which is a good thing,” he said.
“We do see a lot of percocets though,” he said. “We are seeing a lot of methemphetamine pills, because they are cheap, about $5 a pill. The scary thing is, they are mixing these pills with whatever they can get their hands on, and they have logos on them that make them very attractive of kids. They're very popular in Sudbury for people looking for a quick high.”
One pill gives a person a kick equals to about four cups of coffee, and it's a lot cheaper than cocaine.
Heroin hasn't made a very big comeback in Sudbury with oxycodone not being used as much, he said. Marijuana, oil and mushrooms are still common, too, he said.
There are two avenues for drugs to be brought into Sudbury — gangs and bikers, he said.
“We don't have a large number of bikers in Sudbury, but their presence is still felt,” he said. “Gangs are primarily from Toronto, and deal mostly with cocaine.”
GSPS' narcotics unit targets mid-level drug dealers, as well as users. To date this year, the unit has seized more than $1 million worth of drugs, and $227,000 in Canadian currency, what the undercover officer refers to as a “typical year for us.”
“I was born and raised in Sudbury, and in my wildest dreams, I would never have imagined what really goes on here in the drug sub culture. It's sad, but we're trying to clean it up. The less drugs on the street, the safer the city is.”
The officer was a guest speaker at a lunch and learn for the Sudbury Alcohol and Drug Concerns Coalition on Thursday.
James Bolan, chair of the coalition, said the idea was to educate those in attendance, because newer and more powerful street drugs are emerging in Sudbury.
“Street drugs are changing every day,” he said. “Newer and stronger drugs are being mixed into all sorts of other drugs, increasing the danger of harm caused by using these substances. The first stop in making a difference is to learn more about these drugs.”
