Fentanyl continues to pop up in Saskatoon after teen charged with possession

Fentanyl, the deadly drug that’s claimed three lives in Saskatoon, continues to pop up in the bridge city.

On Wednesday around 10:40 p.m., the Saskatoon police’s drug enforcement team pulled over a vehicle on 22nd Street near Witney Avenue and searched three people. Officers found a 17-year-old boy in possession of seven fentanyl pills.

The teen now faces charges of possession of a controlled substance and he will appear in Saskatoon Provincial Court on Sept. 14.

The Saskatoon Police Service continues to warn the public about the danger of using this drug.

The illegal manufacturing of the pills in clandestine labs means each batch may vary in strength and potency. Any drug which has not been prescribed by a doctor, or dispensed by a pharmacist, poses a very serious risk of injury or death.

Three people in Saskatoon died in 2014 and 2015 as a result of a fentanyl overdose.

More than 500 people have died under similar circumstances across B.C. and Alberta since 2013, with a spike in the past year.