In March, 28 grams of fentanyl was seized from a home on Jack Avenue in Kitchener.
While that may not sound like a lot on the surface, even very small amounts of the painkiller can be lethal – and drug experts say 28 grams is enough to create 14,000 potentially lethal doses.
“Twenty-eight grams goes a long way, and has the potential to kill many, many Canadian citizens,” says Michael Parkinson of the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council.
At that point in time, it was the biggest fentanyl bust Waterloo Regional Police had ever conducted.
Also found by police were methamphetamine, heroin, crack cocaine and marijuana.
Two people who were living in the basement of the home were arrested.
On Thursday, 31-year-old Alexandra Clark and 47-year-old Richard Shevalier were found guilty on several offences relating to drug possession, intent to engage in drug trafficking, and possession of prohibited weapons without a licence.
The Crown attorney on the case plans to seek prison sentences of eight to 10 years for the pair.
Parkinson has long advocated for a more significant response from the provincial and federal governments to the fentanyl crisis.
As a public health emergency, he compares it to SARS – the virus which killed 44 people in Toronto more than a decade ago.
“Probably 44 people die every week in Canada from an opioid-related overdose,” he says.
“There’s really a sense of urgency here. We need to get on this.”
With reporting by Allison Tanner
