A drug called "ICE" seized by RCMP in August looks like mint candies, Oct. 1, 2014.
Image Credit: Contributed
October 01, 2014 - 2:01 PM
KELOWNA - Lab analysis of llegal drugs peddled in Kelowna as ecstacy this past summer shows they were actually methamphetamine, RCMP say.
Two men from Quebec ages 21 and 20 are facing possible charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking following their arrest Aug. 7, according to a media release. Police were called to investigate a report of suspicious vehicle that morning. Officers noted the smell of marijuana coming from the car parked at Lake Avenue at McDougall Street. The two occupants were detained and an RCMP search uncovered drugs, money and paraphernalia consistent with drug trafficking. A prohibited weapon was also found during the search.
Police seized 30 grams of marijuana, 80 white pills stamped "ICE" a 'significant' amount of cash and a set of brass knuckles.
Mounties say the pills looked like breath mints and had been seen earlier in the summer being peddled as ecstacy, but the lab analysis determined they were made of methamphetamine.
RCMP Const. Kris Clark says ecstacy is a street name for the drug, not the name of a chemical formula (created legally by a pharmaceutical company), and illegal producers might use any variety of dangerous chemicals and still sell the pills as ecstacy. Illegal synthetic drugs are produced in facilities with no quality or sanitation control and there is no way to know what you are eating when you swallow a pill, he says.
"Illicit drugs are inherently dangerous and there is no such thing as a safe dose," Clark says. "Even a single use can lead to serious illness or death."
The two arrested men were released and will appear in court at a later date.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014