Punjab-origin man held as Canadian Police bust largest drug ‘super lab’
The Canadian Police have busted a largest ‘super lab’ of drugs and a store of sophisticated loaded weapons in Falkland, British Columbia, which was being run by a transnational organised crime group dealing in sophisticated fentanyl and methamphetamine drug ‘super lab’ in Canada.
Police have arrested a Punjab-origin man identified as Gaganpreet Randhawa.
Assistant Commissioner David Teboul, Commander of RCMP federal policing program in Pacific Region said in a media-bulletin that not only has this enforcement action potentially saved over 95 million lives, it has also served to deny this transnational organised crime group an estimated $485 million dollars in profit.
The media bulletin by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Federal Policing said it seized 54 kg of fentanyl, massive amounts of precursor chemicals, 390 kg of methamphetamine, 35 kg of cocaine, 15 kg of MDMA, and 6 kg of cannabis.
Officials described the drug ‘super lab’ as the largest, and most sophisticated of its kind with the capability of producing multiple types of illicit drugs’.
Investigators seized a total of 89 firearms, which included 45 handguns, 21 Ar-15-style rifles, and submachine guns; many of which were loaded and ready for use. Nine of these guns have been identified as stolen.
The searches also yielded small explosive devices, large amounts of ammunition, firearm silencers, high-capacity magazines, body armour, and $500,000 in cash.
The police operation was part of proactive efforts to combat the domestic production, and international export of fentanyl and methamphetamine, the RCMP Federal Policing units in BC launched an investigation into a transnational organised crime group believed to be involved in the mass-production, and distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine across Canada, and internationally.
The RCMP release further said that beginning October 25, RCMP Federal investigators conducted a series of coordinated enforcement actions across Metro Vancouver, and executed search warrants on a massive drug ‘super lab’ in Falkland, BC, and associated locations in the city of Surrey, BC.
During the course of the investigation, members of the RCMP Drugs and Organised Crime team became aware of several large shipments of methamphetamine that had been prepared for shipment, and destined for international export.
In order to prevent the export of these major drug shipments, with assistance from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Federal investigators executed an additional series of search warrants, and seized 310 kilograms of methamphetamine prior to it departing Canada.
While the investigation is under way and one person has been arrested, federal policing investigators have been able to link the criminal operation to a recent enforcement action conducted by the RCMP CLEAR team where 30 tonnes of precursor chemicals were seized from a rural property in Enderby, BC. As a result, RCMP federal investigators are working to determine the source of the precursor chemicals associated to these enforcement actions.
Assistant Commissioner David Teboul said further investigation to date has resulted in the seizure of a very significant volume (approximately 5000 Litres, and over 10 tonnes of powdered precursor chemicals) of unregulated and scheduled precursor chemicals, believed to be used to produce Fentanyl and MDMA.
He said of particular concern is the discovery of several tonnes of unregulated chemicals believed to be used to produce P2P (Phenyl-2-Propanone); a Class A scheduled precursor essential to manufacture crystal methamphetamine.
Manufacturing methamphetamine using P2P had not been seen in Western Canada until now. The P2P manufacturing method has been the primary method used by Mexican Cartels to produce methamphetamine for years.
The precursor chemicals, in combination with the finished fentanyl products seized at this location, could have amounted to 95,500,000 million potentially lethal doses of Fentanyl; which have been prevented from entering Canadian communities, and abroad.
Police said in the release that this meant 95,500,000 million potentially lethal doses of Fentanyl that have been seized, could have taken the lives of every Canadian, at least twice over.
