A 28-year old Barrie man is charged with manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death in connection with a sudden death in the city last August.
Barrie Police detectives laid the charges last week 'after the conclusion of a lengthy investigation.'
In a news release, police say investigators seized a small bag of white powder from the scene which was confirmed by Health Canada testing as the deadly synthetic opioid U-47700, or U4, also known pink or pinky.
The accused appeared in Barrie court Nov.16 and will re-appear later this month. No information has been released about the victim.
Police say a publication ban has been imposed by the courts in relation to charges laid after the original investigation in August and therefore no further information can be released.
On Aug. 30, South Simcoe Police laid manslaughter charges in connection with the fentanyl overdose of a 23-year-old Innisfil man.
Two Innisfil men, aged 23 and 55, are charged.
Barrie Police previously said the drug related to the sudden death in August was originally developed by a pharmaceutical company in the 1970’s and was intended to manage pain. Although it was never produced for pharmaceutical use, the substance is now commonly produced in Chinese labs and exported into other countries, including Canada.
U-47700 has an estimated strength equalling 7.5 times the strength of morphine. Side effects are not completely known as it has never been tested on humans. However, it is known that contact with U-47700 may cause cardiac arrest and potentially death.
Police urged recreational drug users to be aware that U-47700 can be found mixed with other drugs and often cannot detect its presence.
