REGINA – A 28-year-old woman is facing theft, forgery, and identity fraud charges after allegedly stealing fentanyl from a Regina pharmacy.
Lesly Anne Barabonoff was arrested Wednesday in connection with internal thefts at a Regina pharmacy. Police say a forged medical prescription was also allegedly used to obtain the powerful painkiller.
Barabonoff has been charged with forgery make false document, theft under $5,000, identify fraud, use a forged document and fraud under $5,000.
The fentanyl has not been recovered by police at this time.
Yesterday, police issued a warning to residents about a possible increase of fentanyl in the city following the alleged theft of the prescription drug.
Police say using fentanyl recreationally can cause a serious health risk and possibly death.
Fentanyl, an opioid up to 100 times more powerful than heroin, has been blamed in more than 650 deaths across Canada in the last six years. It is used as a painkiller for terminal cancer patients.
However, fentanyl has emerged on the streets as an Oxycontin replacement after the drug’s formula was changed to make it harder to abuse.
In Saskatchewan, there have been 30 fentanyl-related deaths since 2013. In Alberta, there were 213 deaths in 2015 alone.
Last year, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Alberta all announced programs to distribute the antidote naloxone in take-home kits.
With files from Meaghan Craig and Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press