Police Shut Down ‘Major Fentanyl Operation’ in Northern Alberta

An Alberta joint police force has dismantled a suspected drug manufacturing laboratory in a rural area about 350 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

On Oct. 2, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT), alongside the RCMP’s Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement and Response Team, executed a search warrant at a suspected drug lab on a rural property near Valleyview. Officials said the facility was equipped with materials and chemicals for the mass production of fentanyl.

“ALERT’s investigation has identified and shutdown what appears to be a major fentanyl operation. Our team is working alongside public safety partners and chemical experts to remediate the threat,” said Insp. Angela Kemp of ALERT Edmonton in an Oct. 3 news release.

One person was arrested. The search warrant execution is expected to take several days, officials said.

Created in 2006, ALERT is a provincial government-funded agency that brings together municipal police and RCMP officers to tackle serious and organized crime, including gang activity, drug trafficking, and child exploitation.

Recent Incidents

Last month, Edmonton police reported the seizure of more than $1 million worth of fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin, in what they called one of the largest drug seizures in the city’s history. Police executed search warrants at three homes and four vehicles, seizing a total of 66 kilograms of hard drugs. The operation was the result of a months-long investigation into inter-provincial drug trafficking.

A recent fentanyl superlab shutdown, which ALERT says was part of one of Canada’s largest fentanyl seizures, took place in July 2021 in the Calgary area. The operation seized more than 31 kilograms of fentanyl and its precursors, and 7,600 kilograms of chemicals used in fentanyl production, all with a street value of more than $300 million.

Police estimated the dismantled lab was capable of producing 10 kilograms of fentanyl every week. One kilo of pure fentanyl yields approximately 1 million doses, and a lethal dose is about two milligrams.

In 2022, 10 people were arrested in relation to the incident, all of whom were from Edmonton or Okotoks, Alta. Police laid a total of 139 charges.

The lab shutdown was part of a special ALERT operation called Project Essence, which began in February 2021 when authorities learned of attempts to import a 563-kilogram shipment of a chemical used in fentanyl production.

Fentanyl is estimated to be 100 times more potent than morphine, and up to 50 times more potent than heroin. It can be absorbed through the skin, which is why authorities advise caution when handling unknown substances.

Drugs more potent than fentanyl have emerged in recent years, such as carfentanil and W-18, both of which are 100 times more potent than fentanyl.

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