Police suspect fentanyl behind 1 death, 5 overdoses over long weekend in Vaughan, Georgina, Newmarket

York Regional Police warn of dangers of street drugs

Yorkregion.com, Toronto.citynews.ca, Torontosun.com, Cp24.com
July 5, 2023
Laura Broadley

Over the long weekend, officers responded to five overdoses and one death related to what investigators suspect was fentanyl, and now York Regional Police is warning the public about the dangers of the strong opioid.

Between midnight July 1 and 1 a.m. on July 2, officers responded to two overdose calls in Vaughan in which both victims had gone to the same party in the area of Beverley Glen Boulevard and Dufferin Street and had taken cocaine that police believe was laced with fentanyl, YRP said.

On July 1, a man died in hospital after he was found unresponsive in a Vaughan bus shelter. He had cocaine on him at the time, according to police.

Three other people overdosed on suspected fentanyl in Newmarket and Georgina throughout the weekend, and one of those incidents involved cocaine that police believe was laced with fentanyl, YRP said.

Police are reminding the community that any drug is considered dangerous and potentially lethal.

“Street drugs can contain other drugs that could be life threatening and the user may not know what they are actually ingesting until it’s too late,” a YRP spokesperson said.

Symptoms of an overdose include slow, irregular and shallow breathing, pinpoint pupils, muscle rigidity, seizures and unconsciousness leading to coma. Minor effects include dizziness, drowsiness, headache, sleepiness, nausea and vomiting, according to police.

For more information on the York Region Opioid Action Plan, go to www.york.ca/health/substance-use/opioids.