2 charged with trafficking meth, fentanyl blotters

Two people were arrested late last week for allegedly trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl, police said Monday.

A woman and a man, both in their 40s, were arrested on Thursday while leaving an apartment building on Furby Street, between Ellice and Portage avenues.

Officers seized 1.33 kilograms of meth and 20 blotters believed to contain fentanyl, police said in a media conference on Monday.

Police also confiscated $5,700 and a money counter.

Blotters rarely recovered

Winnipeg officers have not found any blotters since another drug bust over 18 months ago, Const. Rob Carver told reporters. Blotters pose a risk to the public and people who use drugs, he said.

"Fentanyl blotters are absolutely, incredibly dangerous," he said.

Blotters are easy to take, can be ingested in a number of ways and may contain substances other than fentanyl. 

"We know that occasionally it's not fentanyl, and it's carfentanil, which is going to kill you," Carver said about the deadly substance.

If dropped or lost, blotters can be deceiving and look appealing to young children, he added. Fentanyl can end up in a person's system if licked or seep through a cut, and could seriously injure or kill a child or a person with a small body.

Local dealers sell meth obtained from south

Carver estimated the value of the meth at between $20,000 in its current form to nearly $130,000 when separated for street sale.

He said busts at this scale happen every couple of months but are not big enough to stop people from finding meth.

Meth is made in labs elsewhere before the highly addictive substance makes its way to the city, he said. Often, it's coming up the West Coast or through the U.S. from Mexico.

"Nobody is dealing meth in this city that isn't part of or approved by an organized crime group," Carver said.

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