Mounties say two men were arrested after police uncovered the latest drug-manufacturing super lab in British Columbia. A statement Wednesday from the Burnaby RCMP detachment says authorities spent six months investigating the operation before executing search warrants at four properties across the Lower Mainland region on Oct. 16 and 17. One of those properties, a rural farm in Langley, housed what police described as a super lab that was allegedly capable of producing multiple kilograms of fentanyl on a weekly basis. Investigators arrested two men and seized hundreds of kilograms of chemicals used in the production of the potentially deadly drug, according to police. The other three searches were conducted at residences of suspects believed to be involved in producing the drugs, the RCMP said. Authorities spent three days dismantling the clandestine lab and disposing of contaminated materials, police said. The discovery and seizure of the lab occurred just days before Mounties raided what they described as the largest and most sophisticated drug-production lab in Canadian history on a rural property in the B.C. Interior. The federal RCMPs assistant commissioner for the Pacific region said the super lab discovered east of Kamloops contained enough fentanyl and precursor chemicals to produce 95 million lethal doses of the drug when it was shut down. Police say organized crime is most likely behind the operation of such large-scale drug production facilities. This lab is directly linked to gangs involved in the B.C. gang conflict, Sgt. Randy Mortensen of the Burnaby RCMPs drug and organized crime section said of the Langley facility. A drug super lab like this poses a serious public safety risk to the entire community, he added. It appears the fentanyl being produced at this lab was being widely distributed, likely contributing to overdoses in this province and across the country. Charges have not been laid against the two men who were arrested, but police say the investigation is progressing.
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