Amount of fentanyl, carfentanil seized in Waterloo region jumps significantly in 2018

The amount of carfentanil and fentanyl seized by Waterloo regional police in 2018 jumped significantly, new numbers show.

In 2018, officers with the Waterloo Regional Police Service seized 1,122.51 grams of fentanyl powder. That's up from 783.04 grams in 2017.

The service did not report seizing any fentanyl pills in 2018, although officers did seize 397 grams of fentanyl pills in 2017.

In 2017, the force didn't track carfentanil seizures but in 2018, officers seized 553.63 grams of carfentanil.

While drug seizure numbers have gone up, the number of opioid overdose deaths has gone down: 50 in 2018, down from 87 in 2017.

Staff Sgt. Brenna Bonn, with the service's drugs and firearms unit, says one major reason is naloxone is more readily available to community members.

"Public health is handing out increased numbers of naloxone and in addition, there's obviously been education and less fear surrounding the Good Samaritan Act so more people are calling 911 or seeking out emergency assistance when an overdose occurs," she said.

She said the police serviceworks with community partners and officers sit on a number of committees addressing the opioid crisis. From a policing standpoint, their goal will be to target mid-to-high end drug traffickers.

When looking at the opioid crisis, Bonn says it's hard to tellwhat could happen in the next year.

"We've had fatal fentanyl overdoses already in 2019 and several non-fatal," Bonn said. "I'm not sure we're at a point where we could say there's going to be fewer or more seizures."