Three people are facing drug charges after London police seized tens of thousands of dollars worth of drugs on Wednesday from a home on Ellsworth Crescent, including more than $43,000 worth of suspected fentanyl.
The 107 grams of fentanyl seized in the morning bust is the largest seizure of the deadly opioid so far in the city, police said Thursday.
In addition to fentanyl, police said they seized 177 grams of suspected cocaine, valued at $17,700, and 140 grams of suspected marijuana, valued at $1,450. Police say they also seized nearly $10,000 in Canadian currency.
Three Londoners, a 54-year-old man, a 59-year-old woman, and a 35-year-old woman, have been jointly charged with two counts of possession of a Schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking, and one count of possession of a Schedule II substance for the purpose of trafficking.
The trio appeared in court on Wednesday, police said.
Wednesday’s bust comes months after police seized thousands of dollars worth of drugs from an Exeter Road hotel room in July, including $25,000 of powdered fentanyl. That was, at the time, the largest seizure of fentanyl in London.
It also comes amidst an opioid crisis gripping London and other communities across the country.
According to figures from the Middlesex-London Health Unit, 316 opioid-related emergency department visits were recorded in the health unit’s jurisdiction in 2017, compared with 188 in 2016.