RCMP
News release
The RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime (FSOC) in Calgary have charged 24-year-old Joshua WRENN of Calgary with one count of Importation of a Controlled Substance and one count of Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking a Controlled Substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA).
In late June, 2016, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in Vancouver identified and seized a package containing approximately one (1) kilogram of carfentanil imported from China. The package was addressed to Joshua Wrenn at his Calgary address.
An investigation was started by the RCMP’s FSOC unit in Calgary and, with the assistance of RCMP – Vancouver, CBSA, and the Calgary Police Service, evidence was obtained by police which led to the arrest of Joshua WRENN on Tuesday, July 5, 2016 at his home.
Mr. Wrenn is accused of attempting to import carfentanil and is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Wednesday, October 19, 2016 in Calgary.
RCMP Chief Superintendent, George Stephenson, who is the Deputy Criminal Operations Officer for “K” Division (Alberta) said, “It is hard to imagine what the impact could have been if even the smallest amounts of this drug were to have made its way to the street.
The illicit drug trade remains a dynamic and lucrative criminal activity that spans borders throughout the world. The different ports of entry, airports, and rail and road networks are all essential links for the supply of drugs.
This highlights that our enforcement partnership with CBSA is critical to the RCMP’s efforts to combat illicit drugs and keep our communities safe from harm.”
Carfentanil is an analog of the synthetic opioid analgesic fentanyl, and is one of the most potent opioids known. It is listed under Schedule I of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
It has a quantitative potency 100 times that of fentanyl whereby a minute dose of as little as 20 micrograms would be fatal to an average human.
There is no known application where carfentanil would be safe for human use.