A decrease in the amount of fentanyl seized by Windsor police in 2025 but an inspector with the service says the numbers aren't a true reflection of what's coming through the city.
The 2025 Windsor Police annual report shows that officers seized 4,258 grams of fentanyl last year, a 16.6 per cent decrease compared with 2024.
Inspector David DeLuca says the figures in the report only reflect what was seized in the city during Windsor police-only investigations, and the numbers do not reflect drug seizures during joint investigations involving Windsor police, the Canada Border Services Agency, Ontario Provincial Police, or other municipal law enforcement agencies.
One of the biggest joint investigations announced in November 2025 saw Windsor Police and the OPP seize 46 kilograms of suspected fentanyl with an estimated value of $6.5 million.
DeLuca says overall they had some great success in 2025 in taking a lot of drugs off the streets, but they're seeing very large quantities of fentanyl seized with some of the more major investigations.
"To put it into perspective, the user of fentanyl uses such a small amount in comparison to what a cocaine user uses. It's like an apples-to-oranges comparison when you look at the amounts that are seized," he says.
DeLuca says when he was an officer in the drug squad 15 years ago, cocaine was the biggest problem.
"The introduction of fentanyl has completely changed the landscape in regard to scope, volume, and severity of reactions with the users. It's far more deadly than we saw in the past," he says.
Fentanyl is a very potent opioid pain reliever typically used in a hospital setting and is 20-40 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.
In non-medical situations, users experience a quick rush of euphoria when fentanyl is injected, smoked, snorted, or ingested in high doses.
Because only a few grains are enough to kill, fentanyl is causing high rates of overdose and overdose deaths.
DeLuca says overall they had some great success in 2025 taking a lot of drugs off the streets, but they are seeing larger seizures than they've had in the past.
"The drug trade is very complicated. They will deal in any drug they can make a profit with or make money on. Many times, you will see this with these seizures, where multiple types of drugs are seized in a single investigation," he says.
The 2025 report also details that:
5,733 grams of cocaine were seized in 2025, a 25.8 per cent decrease over 2024.
672 grams of crack cocaine were seized, an 18.7 per cent decrease.
3,403 grams of crystal methamphetamine were seized for a 10.8 per cent increase over 2024.
3,513 grams of oxycodone were seized for a 55 per cent increase.