Suspected fentanyl overdoses, death in Newmarket, Georgina, Vaughan

York Regional Police are warning the public about the dangers of fentanyl after a death and five overdoses over the long weekend.

There were three occurrences of suspected fentanyl overdoses in Newmarket and Georgina, police said in a news release.

One of the incidents involved cocaine that police believe was laced with fentanyl.

Between midnight Saturday and 1 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to two additional overdose calls in Vaughan. Police learned both victims attended the same party in the area of Beverley Glen Boulevard and Dufferin Street and had also taken cocaine believed to be laced with fentanyl.

On Saturday, another male was found unresponsive in a bus shelter in Vaughan. He was transported to hospital where he later died. He was found to have cocaine on him at the time, according to police.

York Regional Police are reminding the community that street drugs can contain other drugs that could be life threatening and the user may not know what they are actually ingesting until it’s too late.

Symptoms of an overdose include slow, irregular and shallow respirations, pinpoint pupils, muscle rigidity, seizures and unconsciousness leading to coma. Minor effects include dizziness, drowsiness, headache, sleepiness, nausea and vomiting.

For more information on how partners from across York Region are working together to reduce opioid harms, read the Opioid Action Plan here.