BAD DRUGS MAY BE IN AREA

Two men died and one woman ended up in hospital after consuming what
police fear were tainted drugs - drugs that may already be in Kamloops.

All three, in two separate incidences in Chase, were said to have taken
crack cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy bought from the same dealer in the
Scotch Creek area.

RCMP are waiting for autopsy and toxicology test results to determine if
the suspected overdoses were the result of bad drugs.

"We are concerned this is a possibility, but we don't know this is a fact
yet," said Chase RCMP Cpl. Mike Draper, adding it's coincidental both
events were within a few hours.

"It's rare that we have these types of reports to begin with - let alone
four hours apart," said Draper.

Mounties received the first call Jan. 5 around 11:30 p.m. in which a
19-year-old man was suspected to have overdosed after ingesting the trio
of drugs.

He was taken to Royal Inland Hospital, where he died shortly after arrival.

The second call was Jan. 6 around 3 a.m. for a 51-year-old man who was
found to have taken the same drugs. Emergency responders tried to
resuscitate the man but were unsuccessful.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 33-year-old woman with him was taken to Royal Inland Hospital because of
unknown illnesses, which police suspect were related to the drugs.

Draper said RCMP are concerned other overdoses may happen and are warning
the public about the potential of tainted drugs.

"We are worried. It's not the kind of general media advisory we like to
put out there," he said.

"But it is going around."

Bob Hughes, AIDS Society of Kamloops (ASK) executive director, said he
knows of a batch of bad cocaine that's been circulating in the city since
November.

The coke, he said, is out of High River, Alta., and is laced with an
antibiotic called levamisole, which is used to treat worm infestations in
animals.

"There's no conclusions that the drugs from which the individuals who died
was from the same stuff, but this is the risk," Hughes said.

"What we do know is there is a strain of cocaine out there and there is a
chance it could be that the cocaine was contaminated with levamisole."

Although the deaths in Chase is a sober message for drug users, Sgt. Scott
Wilson said they haven't been informed of any bad drugs in the city.

"But people have to understand, with anything you choose to do . . .
there's always a consequence," Wilson said.

"Illicit drugs are illegal, they're extremely dangerous and, in some
cases, they're potentially lethal - and the message is, you really don't
know what you're getting and it kills people."

Chase RCMP are investigating the origin of the drugs taken in the two
deaths but Draper said the drug trade is a difficult thing to trace.

"Unless people are coming forward and providing information - which
they're reluctant to do - it's hard for us to get a foot in the door,"
Draper said, noting they have a couple of potential leads.