A Hazmat team was at a house on Rockridge Road in the Cowichan Valley on Monday morning, where a major drug bust occurred earlier this month, performing a fentanyl assessment.
The team, from Sidney’s B.C. Hazmat Management Ltd., spent the day assessing exactly how much, if any, fentanyl remained in the house.
Company spokesman Dave Rogers said local bylaws dictate that no one can re-enter the house until it has been evaluated and certified clean of the drug, which has been linked to the opioid crisis that has hit the province.
“Unfortunately, the property owner is still stuck with paying the bills after the drug raid on the renters on July 8,” Rogers said at the site while pulling off his Hazmat suit.
“We did find some traces of fentanyl in the upstairs bedroom where police found the drugs during the raid, and we’re still assessing the rest of the house.”
Two Duncan men were taken into custody after the police raid that resulted in a sizeable seizure of illegal drugs, paraphernalia, and weapons.
A substance believed to be fentanyl was among the items seized, along with what appeared to be instruments used for the purpose of trafficking.
With the presence of fentanyl in the house, the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP treated the situation as high risk and immediately sought the assistance of the RCMP’s Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement and Response Team to assist with the seizure.
Rogers said some needles were also found on the main floor of the house by his team.
“That means that one or more of the people here was a diabetic, or the needles were used for illegal drugs,” he said.
“We hope that by the end of the day, we can determine what can be salvaged in the house and what can’t.”