Two Burnaby men are facing charges after Coquitlam RCMP busted a synthetic opioid lab and seized chemicals in cities across the Lower Mainland.
According to police, the charges come after they identified a suspected fentanyl trafficking group in Coquitlam in late 2017.
Police raided and dismantled a synthetic opioid lab in the 6500-block of Nelson Ave. in Burnaby and seized bulk chemicals from a warehouse in the 1600-block of Broadway Street in Port Coquitlam.
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Health Canada is looking into the potential drug-producing capabilities of the clandestine lab but Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said that the RCMP’s “suspicion is that it’s making fentanyl.”
“We can make educated guess but this is not exactly a sterile government approved lab environment,” said McLaughlin.
“But one of the reasons we’re releasing this now, instead of when formal charges are laid, is to let the public know know that fentanyl is an ongoing concern and is very much on the police radar.”
McLaughlin said that although the case started in Coquitlam, it’s likely the drugs were destined for cities across the Lower Mainland.
“Criminal activity doesn’t respect municipal boundaries,” he noted.
A 35-year-old Burnaby man , who has been released pending a full report to the prosecution service, is facing potential drug trafficking charges.
A 26-year-old Burnaby man remains in custody on potential drug trafficking charges.
McLaughlin said that both men were known to police.
Anyone with any information on illegal drug labs is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
