 | Calgary police seized 83 kg of phenacetin — a pain-relieving compound that was pulled from drug store shelves in the 1970s and is now used for cutting cocaine. Phenacetin has a numbing effect similar to cocaine but is far cheaper, so it's common for drug dealers to mix the two to boost their profits. |  |
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32-year-old Mohamed Sirage Omar and 31-year-old Yasmin Ibrahim Mohammed face several drug and firearms-related charges. The phenacetin is estimated to be worth about $83,000. Phenacetin was once used as a pain reliever but was discontinued as both a prescription and non-prescription drug in 1973 over concerns it led to kidney damage and cancer. The government classifies phenacetin as an industrial chemical. One of it's very few legitimate uses is in hair dye products. |  |
 | Police say multiple organizations in Calgary and other cities across Canada were receiving similar drugs distributed from the two men who were charged. The investigation was sparked after the Canadian Border Services Agency seized three 25kg barrels of phenacetin last year, all destined for Calgary. |  |
