Police worried over suspected carfentanil powder seized in St. Catharines

Police say they have seized, in St. Catharines for the very first time, a drug believed to be the extremely powerful opioid called carfentanil. 

Niagara regional police say a man was arrested at a hotel Monday afternoon and a bag of suspected carfentanil powder was seized. A sample of the powder has been sent to Health Canada for analysis and to confirm its potency.

Const. Phil Gavin told CBC News that the seizure is extremely concerning — both for the general public and for first responders who could come into contact with it.

"We look at the lethality or the potential lethality of a drug such as carfentanil. We're talking about sizes of a grain of salt with potential lethality," he said. "That's very concerning."

Carfentanil is 100 times more potent than fentanyl and is commonly used to tranquillize elephants.

A 34-year-old St. Catharines man is charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of a controlled substance.

He's being held for a bail hearing Tuesday.