Approximately 39 kilograms of fentanyl, fentanyl analogues and fentanyl-containing substances were seized during a bust of a clandestine drug lab in B.C.’s Fraser Valley last fall, authorities revealed Wednesday. That amounts to nearly 400,000 individual doses of the drugs, according to the RCMP’s Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment. Other drugs seized during the Oct. 2 bust included 43 kilograms of methyl-methcathinone, 3.96 kilograms of MDMA, 2.9 kilograms of methamphetamine and meth-containing mixtures, and more than 5,000 kilograms of precursor chemicals used in the production of controlled substances, authorities said. Supt. Darren Pankratz, officer in charge of the UFVRD, said the detailed breakdown wasn’t announced until this week in part because of the “lengthy process” required to safely dismantle the laboratory, remove the substances and analyze them. “Specialized resources, including Health Canada chemists and the RCMP Clandestine Lab Enforcement and Response Team, were utilized to ensure the safety of the investigators and the public during the removal and disposal of drugs, chemicals and the related equipment,” Pankratz said at a news conference where authorities displayed the seized substances on several large tables. “Additionally, civilian hazardous waste experts were brought in from out of province to address a specific, highly dangerous chemical located on site (that) posed a significant risk to public safety.” Officers seized the drugs while executing multiple search warrants at two homes, two storage lockers and an alleged drug laboratory on South Sumas Road in Chilliwack. Authorities also found drug lab equipment that included a pill press, plus 3,766 pills of MDMA that were separate from the other MDMA seizure. Two men—35-year-old Justin Fauth and 37-year-old Carlos Martinez—were arrested at the time. Both have since been charged with possession for the purposes of trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Both of the accused are in custody, authorities said. The bust was conducted by Chilliwack RCMP, Emergency Response Team members and Clandestine Lab Enforcement and Response Team members, and used “several hundred thousand dollars” of funding from B.C.’s anti-gang task force the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, according to the UFVRD. The City of Chilliwack’s bylaw department also used “its own cost-recovery mechanisms” to offset expenses related to the cleanup, the detachment said.
