Canada’s oldest weekly newspaper
© 2026 The Picton Gazette
Since 1830
13° Light Drizzle and Fog
Local members of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU)executed a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) warrant at Picton Home Thursday, finding varying amounts of several controlled substances.
Just after 3:30 p.m. Aug. 8, Prince Edward OPP CSCU members assisted by East Region Emergency Response Team (ERT) members executed a CDSA search warrant in Picton at a Reichwald Court address.
As a result of the search, officer seized trace amounts of Fentanyl and Methamphetamine and seven Hydro-morphine pills and drug related materials.
Joel Sturgess, 32, and Marc Alarie, 46, both from Prince Edward County, ON have been charged with the following offences under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act:
Both accused were released from custody and are scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice – Federal Court on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019 in Picton.
According to the OPP, Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opioid prescribed to manage acute and chronic pain.
“You can’t see it. You can’t smell it. You can’t taste it. Fentanyl is lethal in quantities as small as two milligrams,” said Constable Karen German, Prince Edward detachment’s Community Safety / Media Relations Officer That small amount is equal to 32 grains of table salt or seven poppy seeds. If someone’s drug of choice is mixed with or contains even trace amount of fentanyl, it can kill them.
“Fentanyl and its derivatives are often used as a mixing agent within other illicit drugs, putting the public and police at risk. In Ontario, seizures of illicit fentanyl include diverted pharmaceutical patches, fentanyl powder and pills,” She added.
The OPP continues to work with community partners to strategically and collaboratively address the opioid crisis at the local and provincial levels.
-Staff
See it in the newspaper
