RCMP officers raid huge fentanyl lab in Mission after responding to report of gun shots

MISSION — Mission RCMP say a huge fentanyl lab has been discovered on Stave Lake Road in the Hatzic Valley after police responded to a report of gunshots last week.

In the early morning hours of Friday, October 27, Mission RCMP were called to a report of gunshots heard in the 12700 block of Stave Lake Road, according to a statement from Constable Harrison Mohr, media relations spokesperson for the Mission RCMP. When officers arrived, they found a number of spent bullet casings, which prompted further investigation into a large acreage adjacent to where the shell casings were found.

The Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team attended the property and were able to confirm that no one had been injured, however there were indications that a building on the property was being used as a clandestine drug lab. Mission RCMP obtained a search warrant. With the assistance of the RCMP’s Clandestine Lab Enforcement and Response team (CLEAR), along with a representative from Health Canada, officers spent several days on scene gathering evidence.

Investigators determined that the property housed a large-scale operating fentanyl lab, housed inside a storage building and several shipping containers. Approximately 25 kg of pure fentanyl was seized, as well as about 3 kilograms of fentanyl already cut for street distribution. It is estimated that the product seized would have equated to over 2.5 million street-doses of fentanyl. Additional precursor materials to make more fentanyl were also located, along with 2,000 litres of chemicals, and 6,000 litres of hazardous chemical waste.