A string of recent fatal overdoses in Surrey has prompted a warning to drug users from the RCMP.
Surrey RCMP say officers were called to six deaths believed to be linked to toxic street drugs in the week of April 21 to April 27.
Police said it wasn’t clear whether the drugs came from the same source, but officers believe the victims were using fentanyl, heroin or opiates.
“Five of the six decedents were located in private residences and it is believed that they were using drugs alone,” police said in a media release.
The fatalities bring the number of drug deaths in Surrey in April alone to at least 20, Mounties said. Officers in the city have been called to 70 fatal overdoses already in 2021.
Earlier this month, B.C. marked five years since the declaration of a public health emergency due to the overdose crisis.
In that time, more than 7,000 people have died of suspected illicit drug overdoses, driven by rampant toxicity in the supply of street drugs.
Police are urging anyone choosing to use drugs to never use alone, to monitor their dosage and to ensure that they have naloxone on hand.
Anyone who believes they are witnessing an overdose is urged to call 911 immediately.
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