Canadian police dismantled what they said Thursday is the largest, most sophisticated illicit drug “super lab” in the country, saying they had seized “a record number of illegal firearms, synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said 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, British Columbia and associated locations in Surrey, in Metro Vancouver. The RCMP released multiple photos of the operation showing officers in protective suits retrieving items from the “super lab.”
Police said 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 — “many of which were loaded and ready to be used.” They also found small explosive devices, ammunition, silencers, high-capacity magazines, body armor, and $500,000 Canadian (US$359,000) in cash.
Investigators said a suspect, Gaganpreet Randhawa, was arrested and is in custody facing numerous drug and firearms-related charges.
“This is undoubtedly a major blow to the transnational organized crime groups involved, and a great step towards ensuring the safety of Canadians, and the international community,” said Jillian Wellard, Officer in Charge of Federal Policing Pacific Region.
Fentanyl is a main ingredient in much of the toxic illicit drugs that have killed nearly 48,000 people across Canada between January 2016 and March 2024, according to the Canadian government.
The bust comes about two weeks after Canadian police said had made arrests linked to another transnational organized crime group. The RCMP said it had worked with the FBI for over a year to target a Mexican cartel-linked criminal network which had been moving large amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine from Central and South America via the United States to Canada and overseas.
Canadian authorities said that network had also has been commissioning murders across North America, and laundering significant amounts of money. The alleged leader of that network, Canadian Ryan Wedding, remains at large, and is wanted by the United States and Canada, authorities said.
