BC RCMP Federal Policing prevents 27 million doses of potentially lethal fentanyl from hitting the streets

3 BC men have been charged following the dismantling of a drug super lab by the BC RCMP Federal Policing Clandestine Laboratories Enforcement and Response team (CLEAR).

On January 14, 2022, the BC RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime (FSOC) program’s CLEAR team executed two search warrants on properties located in the cities of Abbotsford, and Surrey, BC, and arrested three men for their alleged involvement in the operation of a sophisticated clandestine drug lab.

The search of the sites uncovered a drug super lab at the Abbotsford location, with evidence of a synthetic drug operation that was producing fentanyl, MDMA (ecstasy), and cannabis extracts. The location also contained a mobile fentanyl lab, and two boxed drug labs.

Given the structure and significant operational capacity of the clandestine drug lab, it was deemed a super lab; a term used to describe large-scale, sophisticated clandestine drug labs with the capability of producing sizable quantities of illicit drugs, that are also often tied to organized crime.

The complex, multijurisdictional investigation by the BC RCMP CLEAR team that was launched in August of 2021 has resulted in the seizure of approximately 36 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, 4 kg of pure fentanyl, more than 700 pounds of marihuana bud, approximately $20,000.00 in cash, and a cache of precursor chemicals for the production of fentanyl. In assessing the seized bulk chemicals, Health Canada concluded that the precursor chemicals at this location could have produced an additional 50 kg of pure fentanyl.

The suspects, Kevin Gonzales, Jemroi Ibarra, and Duc Phung have also been charged with multiple drug related offences under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA).