Published May 1, 2024

By Trevor Greenway

An online recreational drug company sent a sample vial of cocaine to a recovered addict in the Hills.

The online company fcuk Reality sent .025 grams of what they brand as “high heat” cocaine through Canada Post to the recipient’s community mailbox in early April. The recipient, who overcame their addiction to the drug over a decade ago after spending time in rehab, said the delivery of this illegal and highly addictive drug was “triggering.”

“If this had been a bad week personally, this would have been up my nose,” said the recipient, who said they wish to remain anonymous. They said they have serious concerns over how this company got their information, as the package, which came in a green envelope, had their name and address on it. The package came with a large branding sticker that reads “fcuk Reality cocaine, high heat, free sample” with a QR code on the front. Inside the package was a flyer from the company marketing “lab-tested drugs to adults for safer consumption” and a vial of white powder. 

The recipient said they flushed the powder down the toilet, but before doing so smelled the top of the vial. “Oh, it was definitely cocaine,” they told the Low Down, adding that they did not ingest any of the illegal substance and haven’t touched the drug in over a decade. 

A search of fcuk Reality online turns up only some unconnected Instagram accounts or articles about the 2004 film “Layer Cake”, which used the French Connection UK (fcuk) brand for a particular scene; the online drug company has seemingly imitated the branding from the film. 

The only way to access fcuk Reality’s encrypted site is through the QR code on the package. When the Low Down scanned the code, we were brought to a site offering everything from cocaine, ecstasy and MDMA to psychedelics like DMT and LSD. Fcuk Reality’s site even sells the potent sedative GHB, which is known as the “date rape” drug. Purchases on the site are restricted to cryptocurrency.

The company claims to offer “clean” drugs, and its website states that the cocaine sent to the Hills resident was 87 per cent pure and contained “no fentanyl” – the powerful, synthetic opioid that has caused a drug epidemic across North America. Anyone with access to the site can buy up to 28 grams of cocaine for $1,400 – about half of what that amount is worth on the street, according to the 2019 Global Drug Survey. 

Fcuk Reality didn’t respond to the Low Down’s queries, but the website states that the Canadian company was formed to combat overdoses. 

“So many of us have lost family and friends to overdoses. What’s even more upsetting is that this could be changed so easily,” the site reads, continuing, “An extra day or two of due diligence via sending products to the lab is all it takes to save countless lives.”

But the recipient in the Hills had already saved their own life by overcoming their addiction. 

‘Predatory’ drug companies target addicts

Carleton University law professor Dawn Moore, who is an expert on illicit drugs, said the delivery of cocaine to a recovered user is an irresponsible move by the company, but it’s also not surprising given that since the legalization of cannabis, other drugs like magic mushrooms and ketamine are being “marketed” to both recreational users and addicts. 

“It pisses me off,” said Moore, who has spent years working with addicts in the region. “Because people work so hard to get clean. I don’t judge people who use, just do it safely and responsibly and please have babysitters for your children. But folks who are trying to get clean need all the protection and love and support in the world. But this is the dark side of legalization, right?”

Moore said that since cannabis was legalized in 2018, drugs – everything from cannabis and magic mushrooms to harder substances like Ketamine and MDMA – have become marketable to consumers.” Moore called drug companies like fcuk Reality “predatory.”

“Legalization was great for a lot of things,” said Moore. “But what it also brought us was capitalism into the drug economy and the ability to mass market and to target vulnerable people in this way, and that I find really upsetting. We don’t pay attention enough to how much we live in an addiction-driven society where so many of our habits are manufactured addictions.”

The recipient said they surmise that because they’ve purchased cannabis online through various companies, their information was sold to the drug company, which then sent the sample vial of drugs to their address. 

According to Sûreté du Québec spokesperson Marc Tessier, while drugs like cannabis and magic mushrooms are being sent through the mail more frequently, this is the first time his police force has ever heard of cocaine being delivered through Canada Post. He said the SQ wouldn’t comment specifically on the case because the recipient did not report it to authorities.  

In its 2022 sustainability report, Canada Post noted that its postal inspectors stopped $17.74 million of illicit substances, including contraband tobacco, from being delivered throughout its 22,500 urban and rural delivery routes. The federal postal service says that it works with law enforcement and agencies to collaborate on investigations and to coordinate search warrants. 

“We have several security, screening and safety protocols in place to help us identify suspicious items,” Canada Post spokesperson Lisa Liu told the Low Down. “Postal inspectors have the authority to inspect mail, and if illegal or dangerous non-mailable matter is found, it is removed from the postal system.” She didn’t comment on the local cocaine specifically or how it got through their protocols. 

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