Active, Bubbling Meth Lab Located in Richmond, BC

On July 21, 2011 members of the RCMP Federal Drug Enforcement Clandestine Lab Team with assistance from Richmond RCMP executed a search warrant and arrested 5 individuals in connection with a large commercial-scale synthetic drug lab.

Police arrived at the residence located in the 6200 block of Gibbons Drive in Richmond at approximately 6 pm. Upon their arrival they arrested a man and a woman. Three other men were arrested while attempting to flee out the back of the residence. All five individuals, aged between 20 and 27-years-old, remain in custody pending a court appearance. All are known to police, four are residents of Richmond and one from Vancouver.

Members of the RCMP Clandestine Lab Team, the Richmond RCMP, the British Columbia Ambulance Service, the Richmond Fire Department and specialist chemists from Health Canada remained at the site for several hours to ensure that it was safe and secure. They have since returned to the site and members of the Clandestine Lab team will be working at dismantling the operation today.

A Health Canada chemist confirmed that this operation was an active, bubbling methamphetamine drug lab. It appears that the residence was used solely for the purpose of producing synthetic drugs.

A second search warrant was executed at a Richmond apartment located in the 3300 block of Corvette Way in relation to this investigation. No clandestine lab was located in the apartment.

Police started this investigation in early May. During the course of their investigation, investigators gathered evidence that allowed them to obtain these search warrants. The investigation is continuing and additional arrests are anticipated. The names of the arrested individuals are not being released pending charge approval.