SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Fentanyl is in the NWT and it's killing people, a Supreme Court judge said as he sentenced a 32-year-old man to more than three years in jail for supplying a local dealer with the drug.

Rory Quentin Moore was sentenced to a total of 42 months on Sept 19. After having one month knocked off his sentence for remand time, he'll serve nearly three and a half years in jail.

"Every time this drug is sold it can mean a new addict and a new death," Justice Louise Charbonneau told the court during Moore's sentencing.

Moore pleaded guilty to possession of fentanyl, possession with the intention to distribute and possession of the proceeds of crime.

Fentanyl is about 100 times more potent than morphine, with a high chance of overdose as its legal form is usually distributed in patch form, to be absorbed slowly through the skin.

Drug dealers extract the drug and convert it into more readily digestible forms, such as pills. Illicit pills sold on the street - often marked with the number "80" on them and coloured green to resemble OxyContin pills - typically sell for around $90 each.

Since illegal drugs don't come with warning labels, Charbonneau pointed out that users are often unaware how much of the drug they are taking.

Deaths attributed to fentanyl have been rising across the country. In Alberta, the number increased to 272 last year, from just six in 2011.

While statistics remain in the single digits in the NWT, Charbonneau said there's no reason "to believe what happened elsewhere won't happen here."

"More and more police are seizing fentanyl in this jurisdiction. It is now definitely here," she said. "To think the outcome here would be any different than anywhere else is delusional. This drug kills people."

Moore caught the RCMP's attention in June 2014 after being found passed out in a vehicle with two bottles of pills, including fentanyl.

He was later arrested and charged after being observed selling fentanyl to Hein during a subsequent investigation. A search warrant of his home found 88 pills, 23 of which were later determined to be fentanyl.

In addition to his jail time, Moore is prohibited from possessing firearms for 10 years after his release, must forfeit $1,000 in cash seized during his arrest, comply with a DNA order and pay $600 in criminal surcharges.

"The court in this jurisdiction must adopt a hostile attitude toward fentanyl trafficking," Charbonneau said.

Fentanyl is in the NWT and it's killing people, a Supreme Court judge said as he sentenced a 32-year-old man to more than three years in jail for supplying a local dealer with the drug.

Rory Quentin Moore was sentenced to a total of 42 months on Sept 19. After having one month knocked off his sentence for remand time, he'll serve nearly three and a half years in jail.

"Every time this drug is sold it can mean a new addict and a new death," Justice Louise Charbonneau told the court during Moore's sentencing.

Moore pleaded guilty to possession of fentanyl, possession with the intention to distribute and possession of the proceeds of crime.

Fentanyl is about 100 times more potent than morphine, with a high chance of overdose as its legal form is usually distributed in patch form, to be absorbed slowly through the skin.

Drug dealers extract the drug and convert it into more readily digestible forms, such as pills. Illicit pills sold on the street - often marked with the number "80" on them and coloured green to resemble OxyContin pills - typically sell for around $90 each.

Since illegal drugs don't come with warning labels, Charbonneau pointed out that users are often unaware how much of the drug they are taking.

Deaths attributed to fentanyl have been rising across the country. In Alberta, the number increased to 272 last year, from just six in 2011.

While statistics remain in the single digits in the NWT, Charbonneau said there's no reason "to believe what happened elsewhere won't happen here."

"More and more police are seizing fentanyl in this jurisdiction. It is now definitely here," she said. "To think the outcome here would be any different than anywhere else is delusional. This drug kills people."

Moore caught the RCMP's attention in June 2014 after being found passed out in a vehicle with two bottles of pills, including fentanyl.

He was later arrested and charged after being observed selling fentanyl to Hein during a subsequent investigation. A search warrant of his home found 88 pills, 23 of which were later determined to be fentanyl.

In addition to his jail time, Moore is prohibited from possessing firearms for 10 years after his release, must forfeit $1,000 in cash seized during his arrest, comply with a DNA order and pay $600 in criminal surcharges.

"The court in this jurisdiction must adopt a hostile attitude toward fentanyl trafficking," Charbonneau said.

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