Mounties say a highly potent and deadly street drug has made its way to Nanaimo for the first time.

Police executed a search warrant as part of an ongoing investigation and seized an unknown white powder.

A sample was sent to Health Canada and the lab results confirmed the presence of carfentanil.

Officials say the toxic opioid is extremely harmful, approximately 100 times stronger than fentanyl.

There’s no way for people to know whether it’s contained in illegal drugs, says Vancouver Island Medical Health Officer, Dr. Charmaine Enns.

Island Health urges anyone who uses illegal drugs to practice harm reduction measures:

Avoid using alone; fix with a sober friend

Try a small amount of new drugs first

Stagger use with friends so someone can respond if needed

Avoid using more than one drug at a time (stacking drugs increases risk of overdoses and contributes to more severe overdoses)

Carry and use naloxone and have an overdose response plan

Be close to help

Use an overdose prevention service

Information on overdose prevention and a listing of overdose prevention sites on Vancouver Island can be found on the Island Health website at http://www.viha.ca/mho/overdose.htm