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390 pills of incredibly potent carfentanil seized from vehicle stop in Wood Buffalo

A sample of carfentanil is analyzed in this photo released by the US Drug Enforcement Agency, taken on Oct. 21, 2016.
A sample of carfentanil is analyzed in this photo released by the US Drug Enforcement Agency, taken on Oct. 21, 2016. Russell Baer/U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration via AP

Nearly 400 pills that RCMP initially thought were fentanyl have been confirmed by Health Canada to be carfentanil, an opioid that is 100 times more potent than fentanyl.

The pills were seized during a vehicle stop near Fort McMurray on May 24.

READ MORE: Dangerous drug carfentanil found in Vancouver during recent drug seizure

Wood Buffalo RCMP arrested three people from Fort McMurray who were later charged with possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.

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Lab results later confirmed the pills were carfentanil, an “analog of the synthetic opioid analgesic fentanyl,” RCMP said in a news release.

“It is listed under Schedule I of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act,” RCMP explained. “A minute dose of as little as 20 micrograms would be fatal to an average human.”

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READ MORE: What is carfentanil? Deadly street drug is causing mass overdoses in the US

Police said there is no known application where carfentanil would be safe for human use.

RCMP warn that illegal drugs are not tested and do not meet any safety standards. Products manufactured illegally from substances such as carfentanil can lead to serious personal injuries, even death.

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