B.C. anti-gang police make arrests in Abbotsford drug lab and gun investigation

B.C's anti-gang agency has arrested four people, seized 44 guns, some seen here, and dismantled of a large-scale clandestine drug lab in rural Abbotsford. Photo by Nick Procaylo /Postmedia

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B.C.’s anti-gang agency has arrested four people, seized 44 guns and dismantled a large-scale clandestine drug lab in rural Abbotsford.

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The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit’s Sgt. Sarbjit Sangha said the facility was still under construction when police searched the property in the 7600-block of Bradner Road in May.

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One of the suspects was arrested in Abbotsford, one in Surrey and two in Enderby, Sangha said. All four have been released as the investigation continues. And all four were previously known to police and have criminal records, she said. Charges are expected.

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“Once completed, the lab would have been capable of producing a variety of drugs including fentany, methamphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB),” Sangha said.

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The investigation began in February after CFSEU’s illicit firearms enforcement team identified a person believed to be involved in firearms trafficking and the production of controlled substances.

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That led officers to the rented Bradner Road acreage, which is owned by a numbered company and currently assessed at $5.2 million.

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Supt. Ryan Element, the acting chief of CFSEU, said the investigation demonstrates the “commitment of law enforcement to disrupt organized crime and protect communities throughout British Columbia. “

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“Through coordinated investigative efforts, officers involved removed illegal firearms and drugs from our streets while preventing further harm to the public,” Element said.

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He said if the lab had become operational, “it had the potential to produce a significant quantity of illicit drugs.”

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Sangha said that investigators seized “a significant amount of evidence” during the searches, including the firearms, some of which were home-made, 11 suppressors or silencers, overcapacity magazines.

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Particularly concerning was the discovery of 65 tubes of emulsion explosives, which are only permitted for use in mining or construction, she said.

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“Investigators also seized approximately two kilos of fentanyl, two kilos of methamphetamine, 64 liters of GHB, cocaine, heroin, MDMA, oxycodone, benzodiazepine, and variety of other illicit substances,” Sangha said.

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About $4,000 cash, gold and silver bars were found at the rural property.

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No specific criminal organization or gang has yet been identified in connection with the incomplete lab and firearms.

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“Crime groups continue to evolve their methods, producing highly dangerous synthetic drugs while arming themselves with illegal firearms to protect and expand their criminal enterprises,” Sangha said.

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Sgt. Shawn MacNeil, of the RCMP’s clandestine laboratory enforcement and response team, said the equipment found in the lab was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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Pictures of the lab were on display at RCMP headquarters, in front of a table full or firearms, a pill press and some of the drugs seized.

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MacNeil said the set-up created “significantly large machines, and once they were up and running, and producing drugs, would produce a significant amount of drugs.”

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He also pointed to the single-stage pill press on display.

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“It produces a pill at a time. It could produce 1000s of pills once up and running,” MacNeil said. “It’s a safety concern because this is used in this situation to produce illicit pills, illicit drugs – this is the mixture that we see in our communities of benzodiazepines, fentanyl, those kinds of things.”

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More to come…

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