Abbotsford police have issued a public warning about an unusually toxic batch of drugs on the street.
In a Friday bulletin, the department said it was concerned about a possible spike in overdose deaths, amid street drugs that are almost four times as toxic as usual.
“We do not have the exact numbers of overdoses and deaths, but what our officers and street workers have been seeing is alarming,” said Insp. Tom Chesley.
“We do not want to wait for specific statistics to confirm our suspicions.”
Police say they’ve seen the toxic drugs having a disproportionate impact on people in their 20s, but are warning all drug users.
The force is appealing to people to not use drugs alone, and if they are going to use, to visit one of Abbotsford’s overdose prevention sites.
The warning comes as B.C. grapples with soaring overdose deaths amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Thursday, Victoria police announced they had seized a kilogram of fentanyl so pure it could have produced nearly a half-million deadly doses.