WPS announced that a huge drug bust has resulted in almost one million dollars worth of illicit drugs being seized from a Winnipeg home.

A significant seizure was made by the Winnipeg Police Service Guns and Gangs Unit after an investigation into drug trafficking at a St. Boniface residence.

Under the Controlled Drugs and Substance Act (CDSA), a search warrant was executed at a home on Guay Avenue on July 12, 2019.

From the residence, investigators seized 2.8 kilograms of cocaine, a street value of about $280,000; 266 grams of heroine, a street value of around $79,800; and 5.3 kilograms of methamphetamine with an approximate street value of $530,000.

Cutting agent and packaging materials useful for the purposes of drug trafficking were also seized including Benzocaine, a local anaesthetic known to mix well with drugs while having little effect on the drug's high.

Investigator Max Waddell of the WPS Organized Crime Division said that it is probable that many of the drugs and materials seized came from Canada's west coast, a common occurrence.

A drug cocktail, known as "purple heroin" was also seized by police in large quantities. The drug, named for its colour which can take on a purple or dark blue appearance depending on purity, is believed to be a concoction of heroin, meth, fentanyl, and carfentanil. It is used in a manner similar to meth, with a small dose heated in a spoon and then injected by the user.

Waddell noted that police have seen this drug before but do not know the exact blend of drugs within the concocted drug, and will not know until a Health Canada certificate is issued confirming its contents.

The dangers of opioids, however, become incredibly apparent within the blend which will often contain "hot spots." These spots, Waddell says, are portions of the drug which contain the majority of the most potent parts of the mixture. Due to the near-impossibility of evenly mixing the drugs within the cocktail, users face an increased risk of consuming a potentially fatal dose.

two individuals from Brandon, Manitoba, are believed to have overdosed on purple heroin Monday. A combination of three opioids and meth are believed to have created a near-fatal reaction in the individuals. Both were taken to hospital after being discovered unresponsive by a third person. One man remains in intensive care at this time.

Waddell says the drugs seized represent the large impact that illicit drugs are having on crime in Winnipeg, with the addictive properties in meth combined with the large quantity of the drug seized particularly representing a threat that "could not be more concerning" to Winnipeg public health authorities and law enforcement.

WPS Constable Rob Carver says that the seized amount of methamphetamine alone had the potential to impact over 50,000 Winnipeg residents.

No arrests have been made by Winnipeg police. The investigation remains ongoing at this time.