Metro Vancouver Transit Police seizes fentanyl disguised as dog treats

Two people are facing multiple charges after fentanyl-disguised dog treats were seized by the Metro Vancouver Transit Police.

In a release Tuesday, Transit police said they became aware of a man and a woman who were allegedly dealing illicit drugs around Surrey, including at transit stations last spring.

“It was quickly determined that the suspects posed a serious risk to public safety due to their access to firearms and fentanyl that was disguised to look like dog treats,” they said.

Const. Amanda Steed with Transit Police says that’s alarming given that the province is in an ongoing opioid crisis.

“To have it be processed using moulds designed for dog treats meant that this potentially deadly substance was disguised to make it appear benign to anyone who came across it,” said Steed.

Transit police say BC RCMP Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team and the Surrey RCMP’s Crime Reduction Unit North assisted in seizing the following items:

• 3.4 kilograms of fentanyl,
• 28.7 grams of cocaine,
• Five firearms, including a Polymer80 9MM calibre semiautomatic “ghost” handgun,
• Body armour,
• $36,925 in cash,
• A 2019 Volkswagen Jetta,
• A diamond necklace and a diamond ring,

They say charges have been approved by the BC Prosecution Office for both suspects.

The charges include:

• 10 counts of trafficking in a controlled substance,
• 4 counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking,
• 2 counts of trafficking a firearm,
• 4 counts of Possession of a Firearm without a licence.

Police say one of the suspects has been released under “strict conditions,” including a 24-hour house arrest while the other remains in custody.

Both suspects are unnamed due to a publication ban.

Transit police say nearly 2 million lethal doses of fentanyl were seized.