Article content

By Jason van Rassel

CALGARY — Authorities are now linking the death of a Red Deer, Alta., man last month to ecstasy made with a toxic additive.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Another Alberta death linked to tainted ecstasy; 'you're playing Russian roulette,' police say Back to video

Preliminary toxicology results released by the RCMP Tuesday showed the presence of paramethoxymethamphetamine (PMMA) — a substance believed to be five times more toxic than ordinary ecstasy — in a 38-year-old Red Deer man who died of a drug overdose on Dec. 10.

The RCMP said the man consumed what was believed to be ecstasy, but the toxicology tests showed the “dominant” drug in his system was PMMA.

The Red Deer man’s death is in addition to seven in Calgary with confirmed links to PMMA.

[np-related]

Two additional drug-related deaths — one in Nanton and another in Calgary last weekend involving a 37-year-old man — are being probed for any evidence of ecstasy containing PMMA.

Authorities in B.C. have also sounded the alarm about PMMA, saying the agent is linked to at least five deaths in that province.