Ontario man charged with importing ‘bootleg’ fentanyl into Canada from China

A 28-year-old London, Ont., man has been charged with importing “bootleg” fentanyl into Canada after border agents in Vancouver intercepted a package destined for Ontario from China.

Furanyl-fentanyl, a version of the painkiller fentanyl that can be produced illegally overseas, was identified during a “routine inspection” on a package by the Canada Border Services Agency at the Vancouver International Mail Centre on Oct. 24.

CBSA officials conducted an X-ray on the package, which was labelled “plastic bags,” and allegedly found it contained 10 grams of a powder officials determined to be furanyl-fentanyl. The package was destined for an address in London.

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The CBSA then contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which obtained a warrant with the Ontario Provincial Police Biker Enforcement Unit and the London Police Service Guns and Drugs Section to search the home on Patann Drive in London Thursday.

Justin Donald Brown, 28, was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and importing a controlled substance. He is scheduled to appear in a London court on Nov. 25.

RCMP Sgt. Penny Hermann told Global News Tuesday fentanyl “analogues,” which are drugs that have a similar physical structure to fentanyl but differ slightly in composition, are becoming a growing problem across the country.

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“Illicit fentanyl and its many analogues are appearing in Canadian neighbourhoods at an alarming rate,” she said.

“Similar to fentanyl, the analogues pose a threat to public safety due to their toxicity, many being significantly more toxic and some less than fentanyl.”

She added that analogues such as furanyl-fentanyl are produced in “clandestine drug laboratories” with “no quality control” and are often pressed into tablets.

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“One of many problems of Fentanyl and its analogues is the concentration of the toxic substance, due to uneven mixing in blenders,” she said.

“As a result, the percentage of the illicit drug cannot be guaranteed and this often leads to tragic consequences.”

Michael Parkinson, a drug strategy specialist with the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council (WRCPC), said although furanyl-fentanyl is reputed to be less toxic than fentanyl — it would still be much more toxic than drugs such as morphine.

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“There should be no surprise that it’s showing up in Ontario or across Canada. That phenomenon has been underway for many years in the U.S.,” he said.

“You can order it online, you just need an Internet connection.”

Parkinson said the trafficking of fentanyl analogues is problematic because some are extremely dangerous in “minuscule levels” due to unreliable production.

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“You really need a good lab and a high level of chemistry knowledge to be able to do this without killing people and that’s not what’s happening,” he said, adding that he was not surprised bootleg versions of the drug are showing up in Ontario.

“It would be my strong suspicion that it is the bootleg fentanyls that are driving overdose fatalities in Ontario up as they have in all the U.S. states and the western provinces.”