Skip to content

Police suspect fentanyl overdose in Athabasca

A 27-year-old man from Edmonton is in hospital following a potential fentanyl overdose in Athabasca last week. An RCMP press release states that police were flagged down by a woman on Highway 55 at 43 Street in the Town of Athabasca at about 9:15 a.
Athabasca RCMP will likely join the ranks of police officers across the province who carry fentanyl response kits.
Athabasca RCMP will likely join the ranks of police officers across the province who carry fentanyl response kits.

A 27-year-old man from Edmonton is in hospital following a potential fentanyl overdose in Athabasca last week.

An RCMP press release states that police were flagged down by a woman on Highway 55 at 43 Street in the Town of Athabasca at about 9:15 a.m. on Sept 28.

The woman, who had been driving, told the officer that a man was in the back of her truck, overdosing from the use of fentanyl, the press release continues. The officer found the male unresponsive, not breathing and without a pulse.

“In this case, I can’t speak exactly for this person from Edmonton that was on the fentanyl, but the early knowledge we have is that the person knew they were on it,” said Cpl. Steve Bereza, a spokesperson for the Athabasca RCMP.

At that time, a second woman approached the scene in a separate vehicle and advised told the officer a collision had just occurred nearby between her vehicle and the truck, the release states. She then assisted police with CPR on the unresponsive male, first on the road, then in the truck as the man was driven to Athabasca Healthcare Centre.

There, he was turned over to the medical staff and stabilized before being transported to an Edmonton-area hospital. The police statement, which was released on Sept. 29, said the man was in that hospital in serious condition as of that time.

The press release states that the RCMP investigation determined the victim is from Edmonton and had visiting Athabasca, and that police do not know how the fentanyl could have been obtained.

The release also states there have been no previous reports to police of fentanyl use in the Athabasca area, but Bereza said he was aware of its use in the town.

“We’ve had some reports of fentanyl use,” Bereza said. “Most of it is coming from people out of the city. It’s nothing locally that we’re aware of at this point in time.”

He added that reports had been as recent as early September.

“We’ve had some instances where we’ve had people that are checking themselves in treatment centres that are on fentanyl and self-admittedly using,” Bereza said. “It hasn’t been an ongoing problem, but lately, it has been.”

On Sept. 8, Athabasca RCMP Staff Sgt. Brian Nicholl said in an interview that police had not “encountered any (fentanyl) here, as far as the police goes,” and that the police had not received any complaints about it.

“I’m sure it has been through the area,” he said.

The press release states police believe this is an isolated incident in the Athabasca community, and they do not anticipate that charges will be laid.

RCMP encourage people to familiarize themselves with the signs and symptoms of fentanyl overdoses, the report said. Signs include slow breathing not breathing at all; blue nails and/or lips; choking or throwing up; gurgling sounds; cold and clammy skin; or unconsciousness.

“The problem with fentanyl is it doesn’t take much – it doesn’t take much at all to OD,” Bereza said. “People think, ‘Well, I’m young. I can do it. It’s all good.’”

Alberta, like many provinces, has seen a rapid rise in fentanyl-related overdose deaths over the past few years, according to an Alberta Health website.

Statistics from the organization show that from January to June 2016, there were 153 people in Alberta who died from apparent drug overdoses related to fentanyl compared to 139 deaths during the same timeframe in 2015.

In 2015, there were 274 deaths total in Alberta associated with fentanyl, according to Alberta Health.

Bereza noted that, in the near future, Athabasca RCMP will likely join the ranks of police officers across the province who carry fentanyl response kits. According to the Alberta Health Services website, these kits include Naloxone, a drug that can act as an antidote to fentanyl if administered immediately after overdose.

“It’s for our officers themselves, in case they come in contact with it or get exposed to (fentanyl) and become contaminated with it,” Bereza said. “Then, at least, we can at least use that as a temporary stop and get them to the hospital and make sure everything is ok after that.”

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks