Police arrest 5 people in connection with pair of overdose deaths

Montreal police say they have arrested five people in connection with two recent drug overdoses.

On Aug. 25, the bodies of two men were found in a car parked at a downtown Montreal gas station. At the time, police said they believed the mendied of a drug overdose.

On Wednesday, police carried out eight raids in Laval and the Rivire-des-PrairiesPointe-aux-Trembles andMercierHochelaga-Maisonneuve boroughs, and arrested five people.

In the raids, police seized:

• 258 grams of heroin.
• 89 grams of yet-to-be identified opioids.
• 129grams of marijuana.
• 11grams ofamphetamines.
• $18,815 (CDN).
• $220 (USD).

The five people have been detained and are expected to appear in court this afternoon.

This is the third raid in about a month related to a recent spike in drug overdoses that Montreal police have publicized.

In a news release, police say they are treating narcotics files "on a priority basis."

In both previous raids, police seized quantities of the powerful painkiller fentanyl, either pure or mixed with other drugs.

Dr. Carole Morissette, the doctor in charge of thefentanylcrisisresponse with Montreal Public Health, recently calledfentanyl'sgrowing presence in the citya "public health emergency."