Angela Pitt and two other members of the United Conservative Party caucus have released a statement on the largest reported fentanyl bust in Canadian history.

On Friday, police in Edmonton said they had seized $4 million in fentanyl pills in an operation that started in March.  Police said they believed they had saved a number of lives by taking the pills off the streets.

UCP caucus members Angela Pitt of Airdrie and Mike Ellis who serve as the party's Justice Critics, and Mark Smith who is the Mental Health Critic released a statement following the bust.

"Getting these drugs off of Alberta's streets will undoubtedly save lives, and we thank the Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement Unit for this major bust.  Our province continues to be in the throes of an opioid crisis, and we need to empower our law enforcement agencies to have the tools they need to seize more of these incredibly dangerous drugs."

The statement went on to say, "This fentanyl bust shows that Alberta still is in crisis and the government needs to address the complexity of these problems by working collaboratively with all stakeholders."

Fentanyl overdoses were responsible for 113 deaths in Alberta during the first three months of 2017.  In 2016 there were 343 fentanyl overdose deaths in the province.

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