In what started as a routine traffic stop, police just outside of Toronto seized enough of the menacing synthetic opioid fentanyl to kill tens of thousands.

A York Regional Police officer on patrol in the area of Steeles Avenue West and Islington Avenue pulled over a vehicle just after 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 2, for what was initially going to be a typical sobriety check.

But after briefly speaking to the vehicle's two male occupants, the officer noticed something amiss, spotting evidence of drugs in the car. The situation quickly escalated from there.

One of the suspects allegedly resisted arrest and even made the bold decision to try and disarm a cop, which seems like a probable way to get yourself shot.

Both suspects were eventually arrested, though one officer participating in the takedown suffered injuries and required medical attention.

The drama didn't end with these arrests, as the ongoing investigation led to the execution of three search warrants, where an additional loaded firearm and drugs were seized.

It may not seem like a huge quantity of fentanyl seized based on the weight of 112 grams, but when you divide that by the unbelievably low potentially fatal dose of just two milligrams (therapeutic doses are administered in micrograms over an extended period), it's enough to snuff out 56,000 lives.

That's about 3,000 more people than the maximum capacity of the Rogers Centre, or around twice the population of Leamington, Ontario. This is some truly dangerous stuff.

"This is an excellent example of proactive policing that resulted in guns and drugs being taken off our streets," said Chief Jim MacSween. "I commend the officers' actions and their perseverance in affecting these arrests."