#synthetic-opioids

#synthetic-opioids

Toronto's Drug Checking Service said in a report last week that a new opioid, known as cychlorphine, was found in three fake pharmaceutical opioid samples collected in the city's downtown core and the west end between Oct. 25 and 28. One of the samples was expected to be hydromorphone, Dilaudid, another was expected to be oxycodone, OxyContin, and the third was said to be Percocet. But none contained their expected drug only cychlorphine, the report said.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police say they have arrested three people and seized nearly $10 million worth of synthetic opioids in a large-scale drug lab investigation. In a news release Friday, police said the operation also led them to $8,000 in cash, firearms and various chemical precursors estimated to help in the production of millions of dollars' worth of drugs. The RCMP said they first started the investigation in the spring, after a man placed a suspicious order of chemicals through his business.

The room smells of sweat and fear. A thick chain with a padlock seals the barred door, and inside, three young people lie on mattresses on the floor, dozing off thanks to a mix of exhaustion and diazepam. Every so often, nurse Saio Keita approaches to check their vital signs, and the youths stir in their half-sleep. Ibrahima (a fictitious name) is one of them. Connected to an IV drip, he watches her expressionlessly and dazed from somewhere deep within his mind.