Three drug labs in Canada's Pacific coast province of British Columbia have been dismantled, police said Thursday, adding that two of the labs are believed to have been used to produce fentanyl while the purpose of the third remains “undetermined.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police also arrested two suspects, including someone described as a “chemist,” but no charges have yet been laid as the police investigation continues.
The Mounties say they executed “numerous” search warrants in late March and found the three labs, which were equipped with sophisticated equipment that is also used in “academic and professional research facilities.”
Chief Supt. Stephen Lee, deputy regional commander of the RCMP federal policing program, said the commercial-grade chemistry equipment underscores “disturbing trends” in the increasing scientific sophistication of drug labs used by transnational organized crime groups.
Assistant Commissioner David Teboul said the drugs produced in the labs were not destined for the United States, but he couldn’t reveal how police came to determine that since the investigation is ongoing.
The Mounties say they launched their probe into the importation of precursor chemicals and commercial laboratory equipment used for producing drugs including fentanyl, MDMA and GHB, in the summer of 2023.
