GUELPH – A Fergus man has been charged with drug trafficking in connection with a recent fentanyl overdose here.
Guelph Police say officers searched a Fergus home on March 4 and seized a “small quantity” of suspected drugs as well as cash, cell phones, a computer and a knife.
A 31-year-old Fergus man was arrested and charged with drug trafficking and is to appear in Guelph court on April 24 (Guelph Police do not release the names of those charged with crimes).
“Recently, the City of Guelph has experienced an increase in fentanyl overdoses, including two that resulted in deaths,” Guelph Police stated in a March 5 press release.
Just two days earlier, police announced there had been 11 fentanyl overdoses within a 48-hour period in Guelph.
“Please be aware that these substances may still be circulating,” Guelph Police stated on March 3.
Police officials stressed that they “discourage the use of all illegal substances, but want to warn the public that a more potent batch of fentanyl may be on the streets.”
The Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy (WGDS) advises the public to reduce the risk of overdose by:
– carrying naloxone;
– never using alone;
– starting low and going slow (e.g., with any new purchase, start with one third of a normal dose); and
– using the consumption and treatment services site supervised by health professionals at Guelph’s Community Health Centre (176 Wyndham St. N.).
Police are reminding the public of the “Good Samaritan Law,” which prevents a rescuer, who has voluntarily helped a victim in distress as a result of drug use, from being charged criminally for drug possession – even if they too were using the drugs.
Anyone with any information about drug trafficking can contact the Guelph Police Service Drug Unit tip line at 519-824-1212 ext. 749 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.csgw.tips.
