OPP warning the public about the dangers of 'purple heroin' and other opioids

HEALTH

OPP warning the public about the dangers of 'purple heroin' and other opioids

The Canadian Press Published Thursday, April 26, 2018 11:26AM EDT

A mixture of heroin, morphine, fentanyl and carfentanil known as purple heroin was seized from a home in Simcoe, police say. (Norfolk County OPP)

Text:

SIMCOE, Ont. - Provincial police in southwestern Ontario are warning the public about a drug known as "purple heroin."

OPP Const. Ed Sanchuk says drugs thought to be the deadly opioid fentanyl and cocaine were seized in January and sent to Health Canada for testing.

Sanchuk says results returned to police on Tuesday show the drugs were actually a mix of heroin, morphine, fentanyl and carfentanil known as "purple heroin."

He says four people, two men and two women, were arrested at the time of the seizure and are facing numerous drug-related charges.

Sanchuk says police are trying to make the public aware of the dangers of the deadly opioids.

Carfentanil is 100 times more powerful than fentanyl and 10,000 times more potent than morphine, and as little as two milligrams could be fatal through ingestion, inhalation or absorption through the skin.