NEWMARKET, Ont. – A doctor who runs a family practice in Toronto is among several people who’ve been arrested in what police allege was a fentanyl trafficking ring.
York region police said they began an investigation in October when fentanyl patches were being illegally obtained and transported to the Sudbury area to be sold.
Investigators allege that two individuals, one of whom is Dr. George Otto, who runs a practice in Toronto, were working with street-level fentanyl dealers to obtain and distribute the fentanyl patches.
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Police allege the patches were sold at a street value of about $400 to $500 per patch.
As a result of the investigation, police have seized nearly 300 fentanyl patches, more than $50,000 in cash, as well as prescription notes and documents.
Fentanyl is an opioid-based pain killer which is roughly 100 times stronger than morphine. Recreational drug users may cut or manipulate a fentanyl patch or smoke a gel form of the drug.
Otto’s office told Global News on Wednesday he was still practicing there.