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In what Hamilton, Ont., police believed is a first in Canada, fentanyl in a liquid form has been seized from suspected street-level drug dealers.

The dark brown glass vial of liquid, containing about 20 mL of liquid, was confiscated by Hamilton police’s vice and drug unit in May, but was originally believed to be GHB. It was sent to Health Canada for routine laboratory testing along with other drugs seized prior to a criminal prosecution.

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The test results showed it was liquid fentanyl. Even then the significance didn’t register.

Det. Const. Adam Brown, of the city’s drug unit, said it was not until he attended a fentanyl-themed police conference in Alberta this month that he learned how unique a find it was. Experts at the conference told him that liquid fentanyl had not previously been seized on the streets in Canada.

“Fentanyl hasn’t been widely seen in Hamilton. It was at the conference, in discussions with people who had the specialized knowledge, that we realized the seizure was such a big deal.