Late last month, RCMP Federal Policing investigators with help from local RCMP detachments and other units executed search warrants in five British Columbia cities, leading to the discovery of three separate illicit fentanyl production labs and the arrest of two suspects. A news release from RCMP Federal Police says the labs in Pitt Meadows, Mission and Aldergrove had specialized chemical processing equipment often found in professional research facilities. One of the suspects claimed to be a chemist with an advanced degree in organic chemistry.

Deputy regional commander of RCMP Federal Policing in the Pacific region, Stephen Lee, explains that proactive enforcement action began in the summer of 2023 with an investigation into the importation of unregulated chemicals and commercial lab equipment that could be used for synthesizing illicit drugs including fentanyl, MDMA and GHB. He believes police action has stopped around several million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl from being produced and distributed across Canada.

Lee says, “The discovery of commercial-grade chemistry equipment at all locations, in addition to the arrest of an individual who we suspect has a background in chemistry, points to a disturbing trend of progressively enhanced scientific and technical expertise, among transnational organized crime groups involved in the production and distribution of illicit drugs.” Click here for more information.