A Victoria Police department veteran is speaking out about the growing fentanyl crisis. Staff Sgt. Conor King is with VicPd's Investigative Services and is considered an expert in fentanyl and other drugs.
King authored an article in the Times Colonist about his experience, including tracking 8 drug deaths in 7 days over Christmas last year. One of them was the 22 year old daughter of a co-worker who died in her bedroom after opening presents with her mother and stepfather:
"It was an opportunity for me to recognize that the people dying from this, in this crisis, are from all walks of life. And that no segment of society is immune in this situation."
Speaking on CFAX 1070 with Adam Stirling, King said fentanyl has been around for at least 20 years, but things changed between 2012 and 2013 when overdoses began slowly rising:
"And we came to a realization that a vacuum has been created. And of course with a vacuum someone exploits an opportunity to fill that. And that's when we saw fentanyl arriving, and in significant amounts."
The cluster of overdose deaths in spring 2013 was attributed to a new, powerful type of heroin. When King was able to get a sample he was stunned to learn it was positive for fentanyl. But not the tightly controlled pharmaceutical version - this was different.
It was being manufactured in clandestine laboratories. Some of which have been shutdown here in BC, but are still operating internationally:
"What has occurred is in China and in Mexico there are chemical manufacturers, unscrupulous manufacturers, who are willing to engage in fentanyl production. And it's not particularly difficult if you know what you're doing and you have access to the right laboratory hardware and the right precursor chemicals. So they will manufacture fentanyl on order."
King says investigation is challenging because the package is sent to a recipient in Canada who has been paid to receive the order. But police must then try to determine who the actual importer was, who paid for it, and who intends to distribute it. King says that's where law enforcement has its hands full.
King says fentanyl is lethal at 2 milligrams, but illicit fentanyl rendered into heroine contains between 2 and 3 milligrams, which is why we are seeing so many overdose deaths.