Police seized 32 fentanyl pills while searching a house on Monday.

The opioid painkiller drug has been ravaging Vancouver and other major cities, causing a wave of overdose deaths, but has so far been rare in Prince Albert. Health officials estimate that it is about 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin.

At 3:35 a.m. Monday morning, officers were responding to a call at a house on the 600 block of 21 Street East. They noticed that the resident was “behaving very erratically” and suspected that he was under the influence of a drug.

They also spotted a large knife and a hammer, and decided to search the house. During the search, they found two baggies. One contained a small amount of methamphetamine – about 0.02 grams – while the other held 32 fentanyl pills. Police estimate the street value of the pills at about $800.

They arrested the “erratic” resident, a 26-year-old Prince Albert man. He was charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking.