(STOCK PHOTO)

The Ontario Provincial Police are warning residents in Norfolk County after a powerful and deadly opioid was seized during an arrest.

Officers found a “quantity of suspected narcotic” while arresting a man at a home in Simcoe, Ont. around 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 6.

The narcotic was sent for additional testing to Health Canada. The results came back on Friday, and Health Canada confirmed the drug was carfentanil.

Carfentanil is suspected to be 100 times more powerful than fentanyl and 10,000 times more potent than morphine.

“Carfentanil is being mixed into illicit drugs, the user may or may not be aware of the contents, and even trace amounts can be lethal. Increasing awareness about the risks and ways to reduce harm are two approaches that could help save lives. We want people to think twice, understand the risks and hopefully not consume illicit opioids. But if they do, we hope they know the overdose signs to watch for so they can get help for themselves or a friend if needed,” said Inspector Shawn Nash, Interim Detachment Commander, Norfolk County OPP.

Police say exposure to a very small amount of this drug, as little as a grain of salt or two milligrams of powder, could be fatal through ingestion, inhalation or absorption through the skin.