Mango-flavoured ketamine, bubble-gum cocaine and Ritalin — those are just some of the drugs that N would have seen advertised when she followed an online link from a flyer received in the mail.
She found the flyer in the mailbox for her Edmonton home, where it came in a sealed envelope with a postage stamp. The first thing she noticed was a little graphic that read “Straight Outta Cocaine,” in the style of a commonly parodied graphic for the film (named for the hip-hop album), Straight Outta Compton.
The scariest thing, she said, was the flyer was addressed to her, including her full name and home address. She said she’s only been living at this location for just under three years.
Postmedia has agreed not to disclose N’s identity, to protect her from being targeted by drug traffickers.
“I’m not a shrinking violet,” she said. “But I was stunned at the volume and the different amounts and flavours you could get of these very powerful and scary drugs. That’s terrifying, and it just showed up at my house.”
She believes the flyer was sent through Canada Post, and assumes another business she’d given her personal details to must have sold that information, allowing it to fall into the hands of drug traffickers.
N is not the first to receive these flyers, or the first to report drugs being trafficked through the mail.
Others in Calgary, Grande Prairie and in Ontario have spoken on social media of receiving similar flyers from an organization under the same name. In 2024, a man in Quebec, who was recovering from addiction, was reported to have received a cocaine sample in the mail through the same organization.
But since then, more reports of the organization have begun to surface. Other reports of online marketplaces that also ship through Canada Post have come up as well.
An Edmonton woman is one of several people across the country who have reported receiving unwanted flyers in the mail for a website that deals in illegal narcotics like cocaine and ketamine.
Online storefront a ‘safe supply’ for illegal drugs
This particular website advertises a wide array of illegal narcotics in the kind of storefront you’d expect from any online retailer. It boasts that products are lab-tested to ensure safety and purity, using the tag line, “your safe supply.”
The website also says it accepts payments through cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and Ethereum, but also through Interac e-transfer, a money transfer service that is exclusive to Canada. At the time of writing, the website said its Interac services were down.
The website also said it uses Canada Post and other delivery services, but it will only deliver within Canada. Despite that, the website uses a “.is” domain name, the domain for websites in Iceland, however people all around the world are able to use a .is domain.
The terms and conditions section of the website said that officers of the law are not permitted to use its services. The website also said that in order to maintain the anonymity of its operators, it never sends mail out at the same location, or city.
The Edmonton Police Service told Postmedia in an emailed statement it’s aware illegal drugs are sometimes advertised through platforms like websites, social media and through flyers.
“Regardless of how they are marketed, the production, distribution and possession of illegal drugs is a criminal offence. Purchasing drugs online also carries a significant risk, including the potential for contaminated substances and financial fraud,” the statement read.
EPS said that anyone who receives materials advertising illegal drugs should report it to police.
Drugs like cocaine are considered a Schedule 1 narcotic in Canada, meaning a drug that has the highest potential for abuse and dependency. While exact punishments often vary, possession of Schedule 1 narcotics is illegal and punishable by seven years in prison, while trafficking, producing, and importing can lead to a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Lisa Liu, a spokesperson for Canada Post, said it takes security and safety very seriously.
“We continually work to address issues such as those raised, if and when Canada Post is involved, so that we may continue to disrupt any use of the postal system by those attempting to utilize it for illegal purposes,” she said.
Liu said Canada Post has provided information Postmedia shared about the website to its security and investigative services team.
Personal information valuable on dark web
David Goodis, an Ontario-based lawyer and partner at INQ Law, and former senior information and privacy regulator, said there are a few possible routes through which personal information like addresses and names can end up in the hands of criminals.
One way is through breaches, in which bad actors will target organizations that carry personal information and steal it through cyber attacks or phishing schemes. From there, the information that is lucrative can be sold on the dark web.
Alternatively, Goodis said some businesses will include clauses in the fine print, where a customer might unknowingly consent to having their information used, “for marketing purposes.”
Goodis said this goes against guidelines set out by Canada’s information and privacy commissioner, and that the larger, well-known companies and retailers tend to follow those guidelines.
“They’re not perfect, but they will tend to be more careful, they understand the legal landscape,” Goodis said.
While the burning question of how exactly the drug traffickers got her personal information remains unanswered, N said she was also concerned with vulnerable people who could be receiving these advertisements.
She said children and people in recovery from addiction were top of mind, especially considering how easy the website appeared to use. The candy-like flavourings seem like they might be made to target children and youth, N said.
“I think that’s dangerous, and I don’t think these drugs should be that readily available, that you can just order it online with a QR code.”
“That, to me, is atrocious. Something needs to be done to shut them down.”
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