
The Regina Police Service is potentially gearing up for a record-setting year in relation to seizures of the potent drug, fentanyl. Since the start of 2023, law enforcement officers have confiscated upwards of 10.4 kilograms of the lethal substance, signifying a sharp increase when compared to the same timeframe in previous years.
With the amount of fentanyl confiscated so far, the risk it poses to public health is evident. The police underline that even minute concentrations of the drug have the potential to be fatal. Indeed, the sheer volume being seized hints at a potential lethal dosage in the millions.
Looking back to the equivalent period in 2022, the police only confiscated close to 5.8 kilograms of the drug. The current tally reflects the fact that the police have seized more fentanyl this year than they have in any previous year on record.
A close second in terms of seizures would be the year 2021, when the police seized just above 8.2 kilograms of the hazardous narcotic.
The seizures this year extend beyond fentanyl. Officers in Regina have been involved in a staggering 727 unique confiscations related to illegal street drugs since the dawn of the year. Of these, the substances seized were not only fentanyl but also approximately 2.7 kilograms of cocaine and an estimated 9.2 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Enforcing stricter drug control goes hand in hand with the confiscation of associated illegal weaponry. In many instances related to the investigations, the police have seized firearms and a variety of other weapons. With continued vigilance, the Regina Police Service is relentlessly working to curb the threat illegal drugs pose to the community.