By Canadian Press

Mounties bust massive B.C. drug ‘superlab’ linked to transnational organized crime

Oct 31, 2024 | 3:56 PM

Mounties have dismantled what they say is the largest, most sophisticated illicit drug “superlab” in Canada.

Police say they believe organized crime ran the operation where there was mass-production and distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine across Canada and internationally.

Officers served search warrants last week on the drug lab in Falkland, B.C., in the southern Interior, and associated locations in Surrey, in Metro Vancouver.

Police say they seized 54 kilograms of fentanyl, “massive” amounts of precursor chemicals, 390 kilograms of methamphetamine, and smaller amounts of cocaine, MDMA and cannabis.

They also found a total of 89 firearms, including handguns, AR-15-style rifles and submachine-guns as well as small explosive devices, ammunition, silencers, high-capacity magazines, body armour, and $500,000 in cash.

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Investigators say a suspect, Gaganpreet Randhawa, was arrested and is in custody facing numerous drug and firearms-related offences.

Fentanyl is a main ingredient in much of the toxic illicit drugs that have killed nearly 48,000 people across the country between January 2016 and March 2024, according to the federal government.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2024.

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press