A 21-year-old Stoney Creek man is facing heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine possession charges after a traffic stop early Wednesday.
Shortly after midnight, Hamilton police say they pulled over a grey Mazda 3 “operating in a suspicious manner” in the area of Barton Street and Parkdale Avenue.
During a sobriety test, which he passed, officers say they discovered the man to be in possession of a weapon and several illicit drugs.
The 21-year-old is being charged with:
- Oxycodone possession for the purpose of trafficking
- Purple heroin (heroin/fentanyl mix) possession for the purpose of trafficking
- Cocaine possession
- Possession of proceeds of a crime
Police say they seized:
- Oxycodone (20 pills)
- Purple heroin (25 grams)
- Cocaine (undisclosed amount)
- Canadian currency (undisclosed amount)
- Drug paraphernalia
The City of Hamilton issued the following alert on Feb 1:
Public Health Services has received reports of overdoses due to Purple Heroin, a highly toxic synthetic laced heroin, circulating the community. People say it can cause confusion, and speech problems.
People also say it can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea for several days after. This serves as an important reminder to the community that street drugs continue to be cut (mixed) with toxic substances.
There is no easy way to know what is in your drugs. You can’t see it, smell it or taste it. Substances such as fentanyl and carfentanil can be cut (mixed) with other drugs. Even a very small amount can cause an overdose.
WATCH: ‘Purple heroin’ found in fatal overdoses in Peterborough: Health Canada