How Alberta RCMP drug sniffers became global leaders in the fight against fentanyl

Published on August 22, 2017

INNISFAIL — Alberta is leading the world in canine fentanyl detection, having developed the first safe method for police dogs to recognize the deadly drug.

Just 120 km north of Calgary, all narcotic dog teams in Canada are trained at the Innisfail RCMP dog training facility. All but one of the 136 drug-detecting dogs have been trained to aid in the fentanyl crisis that’s taking thousands of lives.

The RCMP developed a liquid solution to use for training because the use of powdered fentanyl was too dangerous for dogs and handlers.

The equivalent of just two grains of salt is enough to kill someone and was the reason agencies across the world didn’t attempt to develop the solution themselves, said Staff Sgt. Gary Creed, senior trainer for the RCMP police dog service.

Since the program’s inception over 14,000 fentanyl pills have been seized thanks to four-legged canines.

“If you consider that every pill has the potential to kill somebody, then this has a huge impact,” said Creed. “Potentially, the dogs so far have saved tens of thousands of lives.”