At a recent news conference, Manitoba RCMP spoke about recent searches conducted during an investigation of a Winnipeg drug trafficking network, which uncovered over 7,000 pills that looked like painkillers. However, a lab analysis determined they contained heroin and medetomidine, a potent animal sedative.
Subsequently, a drug alert was issued, describing the detected tranquillizer, which is only approved for animal use, as being « 200-300 times stronger » than xylazine, another potent animal sedative increasingly detected in illicit drugs.
“People on the street are going to be using these drugs that are being disguised as legitimate drugs or prescription drugs, and our concern is that somebody is going to overdose and die,” said RCMP Supt. Jeff Asmundson said at a news conference. “The heroin mixed with the tranquillizer — that’s a trend that we’re very concerned of here in Manitoba.”
Moreover, the RCMP confirmed this is the first time heroin combined with medetomidine has been detected in Manitoba. “These drugs obviously are being marketed to the public to try to gain new users and take advantage of people’s already existing addictions,” said Armundson. “Heroin obviously, traditionally, has been a needle drug, and [for] some people, it has a negative connotation — whereas a pill has a much less negative connotation, and people will more likely take it.”
Initially, the investigators identified a Winnipeg-based trafficking network distributing cocaine and other drugs across Manitoba. The RCMP then searched two homes on Feb. 5, seizing over $1.5 million in drugs and cash. As a result, a 35-year-old man was arrested and charged with possession of proceeds of crime and drug trafficking offences.
Medetomidine can cause severe respiratory depression and slowed heart rate. According to Street Connections, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s mobile public health service, naloxone cannot reverse its sedating effects. However, the organization still urged people who witness an overdose to use naloxone, since drug samples almost always contain opioids.
