Federal police in B.C. bust fentanyl labs, seize chemicals and equipment

By Canadian Press on April 10, 2025.

SURREY — Federal police in British Columbia say three drug labs were dismantled last month in the Lower Mainland cities of Pitt Meadows, Mission and Aldergrove, as part of an investigation launched in 2023.

RCMP say officers also arrested two suspects, including someone described as a “chemist,” but no charges have yet been laid as the police probe continues.

The Mounties say they executed “numerous” search warrants in late March and found the three labs, which were equipped with sophisticated equipment that is also used in “academic and professional research facilities.”

Police say two of the illicit drug labs are believed to have been used to produce fentanyl, but the purpose of the third lab remains “undetermined.”

Chief Supt. Stephen Lee, deputy regional commander of the RCMP federal policing program, says the commercial-grade chemistry equipment underscores “disturbing trends” in the increasing scientific sophistication of drug labs used by transnational organized crime groups.

Assistant Commissioner David Teboul says the drugs produced in the labs were not destined for the United States, but he couldn’t reveal how police came to determine that, since the investigation is ongoing.

The Mounties say they launched their probe into the importation of precursor chemicals and commercial laboratory equipment used for producing drugs including fentanyl, MDMA and GHB, in the summer of 2023.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 10, 2025.

The Canadian Press