Grande Prairie RCMP seized a large quantity of fentanyl.
The RCMP issued a warning last week about a deadly form of fentanyl in the province.
Grande Prairie RCMP received a report April 16 from Health Canada regarding a drug that had been seized on Feb. 28.
A large quantity of this drug was seized following a suspected fatal overdose.
The drug contained fluorofentanyl mixed with bromazolam, which is a benzodiazepine.
This is the first recorded instance of bromazolam in Alberta.
The analyzed drug was oval, stamped with “20” and “SS” but can come in other forms.
Bromazolam was linked to nine fatal overdoses in New Brunswick in 2022.
Naloxone is not effective in reversing the effects of bromazolam.
RCMP said any fentanyl laced with bromazolam would see a reduced effectiveness of naloxone, requiring the use of additional doses and could still result in a fatality.
From January to November 2023 the Alberta Substance Use Surveillance System reported 1,706 opioid-related deaths and 57 benzodiazepine-related deaths while, in 2022, for the same time period, these numbers were 1,375 and 43 respectively.
That represents a 24 per cent increase in opioid-related deaths and a 32.5 per cent hike in benzodiazepine-related deaths.
The Alberta RCMP in 2023 responded to about 1,100 opioid-related calls for service with 368 being fatal.
There were also 67 naloxone deployments by Alberta RCMP, increasing by 31.3 per cent since 2022.
Anyone with information about illegal drug activity should contact For Macleod RCMP or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
