SALMON ARM, B.C. - Salmon Arm RCMP are warning the public about a potent drug supply circulating in the city after police responded to two suspected overdoses in the past 24 hours.
In a news release issued Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the detachment said the specific drug being used has not been identified at this time.
What police are advising
Salmon Arm RCMP said they always advise against the use of any illicit substance, but believe sharing this information is important to prevent more overdoses.
Anyone who uses illicit drugs is advised to use with a buddy, to carry naloxone, and to make sure both people know how to use it. Naloxone is a medication that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose, and it is available free at pharmacies across British Columbia.
If someone is experiencing an overdose, or you are witnessing one, call 9-1-1 immediately, police said.
Counterfeit Dilaudid alert from Interior Health
Interior Health has issued a recent drug alert for counterfeit tablets sold as Dilaudid. The tablets are often sold as “Dilaudid,” “dillies” or “hydromorphone,” although they do not contain hydromorphone.
Counterfeit Dilaudid contains isotonitazene, which is considered up to 50 times stronger than fentanyl and carries a very high risk of overdose.
New synthetic opioids raise the risk
Fentanyl is a highly potent and addictive synthetic opioid painkiller, estimated to be up to 100 times more potent than morphine. Its effects are unpredictable, and people who use it have no way of knowing the purity or potency of what they take. When mixed with antidepressants, fentanyl is potentially lethal.
Police also flagged cychlorphine, one of a new class of laboratory-made opioids known as orphines. Cychlorphine is rare now but may become more common. It is thought to be approximately 10 times more potent than fentanyl, and there are currently no test strips that can detect it.
Why this matters beyond Salmon Arm
Counterfeit pills and contaminated supply move quickly between communities, including along the Trans-Canada Highway corridor through the Shuswap and into the Lower Mainland. A supply that is sending people to hospital in Salmon Arm can surface in Surrey within days, which is why police and health authorities push these warnings out as widely as possible.
Interior Health maintains current drug alerts and overdose prevention information on its website for anyone who uses substances, and for the family members and friends who worry about them.
Source: Salmon Arm RCMP news release, October 27, 2026.
You Might Like
