Police are calling it the biggest fentanyl lab to date in B.C., and on Thursday, it was busted in Burnaby.
The lab was discovered by Delta Police while they were working on their own drug investigation in three cities, including Burnaby.
On Friday, the Delta Police provided details about the investigation, including the lab found inside a unit in a quiet townhouse complex in the 6800 block of Prenter Street.
Delta Police spokesperson Sgt. Sarah Swallow explained the apartment was being used as a fentanyl processing lab, which means people were taking the drug and turning into something that can be sold on the street.
In most cases, fentanyl, which is tasteless, colourless and can be 100 times more powerful than morphine, is dyed and mixed with or sold as heroin on the streets.
The drug has been blamed for hundreds of overdose deaths in the region and across the country in recent years.
“With the use of this lab, a large quantity of fentanyl that would be going out into the street now isn’t, and that could save lives immediately,” Swallow said.
However, she couldn’t say exactly how much fentanyl was recovered but added the amount is in kilograms.
Police said two men were arrested and are in custody until their next court appearance. The men are facing numerous drug-related charges but have not been identified until their first court appearance.
Swallow said she’s not sure where the men were living or if they were arrested in the unit, noting they also had ties to two more properties in Richmond and Surrey. She said part of the investigation will be to determine who owns the home.
Police are also not sure where the fentanyl came from. Swallow described the lab as another step in the process from manufacture to sale.
A significant portion of the complex was blocked off Friday, while crews in hazmat suits dismantled the lab.
Residents living in the area who spoke to the NOW were surprised by the large bust, but not seemingly worried.
“It’s just an awesome neighbourhood. I know most of the neighbours, and they’re all great people,” said Kassie, a long-time resident who did not want her last name used.
While she had no idea a drug lab was in her midst, she said she had seen more police cars in the area in recent months.
“This is kind of our hidden neighbourhood. People don’t venture down here,” Kassie said.
It was also a good lesson for her son Zereno, who’s learning about drugs in school.
“It made me think more about it and how bad it could be,” he said.
Another neighbour, who did not want to be identified, said she came home Thursday to see a SWAT team descending on the complex. She too said the entire neighbourhood is very close and talk to each other regularly.
“I guess these drug labs could have happened anywhere, I hear,” the woman said.
Crews were expected to be at the building cleaning up the site until Saturday.
In 2015, there were 471 deaths in Canada directly related to Fentanyl, and so far in just the first two months of 2016, there have been 132 deaths.
