RCMP probing three fatal drug overdoses in southern Sask. in past week

Three fatal drug overdoses in the past week have prompted the Saskatchewan RCMP to once again warn people about illicit drugs in the province, particularly in southern areas.

In a media release Wednesday, the Mounties said the three overdoses are believed to have involved methamphetamine or fentanyl.

Police said the first incident occurred Feb. 9 in Assiniboia, where officers responded to a call about an unresponsive man who’d been found in a house. Paramedics pronounced the 21-year-old man dead at the scene.

The second happened Monday, when Moosomin RCMP got a call about an unresponsive man who was found in a hotel room in that town. The RCMP said paramedics and police officers attempted CPR, but the 22-year-old man couldn’t be revived.

The third fatality was reported Tuesday in Preeceville, where officers from the Canora/Sturgis detachment got a report about an unresponsive woman found outside a home. Police said the 50-year-old woman was taken to hospital in Preeceville, where she was pronounced dead.

According to police, officers found a white or light-coloured powder at all three scenes that was suspected to contain meth or fentanyl.

“Autopsies and toxicology analyses will be performed by the Saskatchewan Coroners Service to confirm the nature and role of the illicit drugs in the suspected overdoses,” the Mounties said.

The RCMP urged people who use illicit drugs to take precautions when using, including never using alone, telling someone they trust of their plan to use, carrying a Naloxone kit to counteract the effects of an overdose, and calling 911 if they suspect an overdose is occurring.

Anyone with information about the three deaths and the drugs involved is asked to call Saskatchewan RCMP at 306-310-RCMP or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.