Carfentanil is here: Interior Health confirms deadly drug in BC southern interior

It’s a drug 100 times more toxic than fentanyl, and Interior Health has now confirmed it’s been traced to the southern interior health region.

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

Two tests conducted in the Kootenays and Thompson Cariboo Shuswap region came back positive for carfentanil. The deadly drug was inside illegal imitation oxycodone tablets with the pill markings CDN 80.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

It’s the first time carfentanil has been traced to the Interior Health Authority (IHA), but it has previously been speculated that the drug was likely in the region.

“These recent findings confirm our suspicions and anecdotal reports that carfentanil is present in IHA communities,” chief medical health officer Dr. Trevor Corneil said in a news release.

“Carfentanil has also been detected in other parts of B.C. and may be responsible for the spike in overdose deaths seen at the end of 2016.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Carfentanil has also been detected in other parts of B.C. and may be responsible for the spike in overdose deaths seen at the end of 2016."

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

Carfentanil is used as a sedative for large animals like elephants.

A few granules are enough to trigger a fatal overdose.

Kelowna RCMP spokesperson, Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey, says none of the drug samples they’ve sent to Health Canada have tested positive for carfentanil.