Large Okanagan drug lab leads to 11 years jail for 2 men

Two more people accused of running a massive fentanyl and methamphetamine lab in Lumby were sentenced in Kelowna court on Monday, bringing the total number of people sentenced in connection to the lab up to six.

Trent Fussi (born in 1989) and Robyn Bryson (1984) were the cooks in the clandestine operation and were each sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Fussi and Bryson received six-year sentences for the production of methamphetamine and 11-year sentences for the production of fentanyl. The sentences will be served concurrently, confirmed Carine Sielinou, media officer for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.

The pair also received 10-year firearms prohibitions and were ordered to provide DNA samples.

The charges are connected to a lab bust at a Trinity Valley Road property in October 2018. Police found nearly 100 kilograms of chemicals used to make methamphetamine as well as 660 grams of fentanyl.

Charges were laid against six people in 2020, when police said the drug lab was one of the biggest ever discovered in the province. The lab contained barrels of synthetic waste that posed a risk to neighbouring farms and residents.

Michael Harvey, Tyson Kopp and Michael Piggott all pleaded guilty to two charges related to methamphetamine production in February 2021. Each were sentenced to three years in jail.

Michael McMorris pleaded guilty to charges relating to methamphetamine production in September 2021. Justice Sharon Matthews sentenced him to three years in jail in February 2022.

Both Fussi and Bryson pleaded guilty to production of fentanyl and methamphetamine prior to the start of trial on Nov. 15, 2022.