RCMP seize $500 million in illicit drugs, weapons from Canada's largest ever criminal lab
A B.C. 'superlab,' with alleged ties to China and Mexican cartels, resulted in the confiscation of 54 kilograms of fentanyl, 89 loaded firearms and half-a-million in cash.
The RCMP shutdown of Canada’s largest ever illicit drug lab occurred in the British Columbian hamlet of Falkland, east of Kamloops and home to 946 residents.
The record-breaking drug bust led to the confiscation of 54 kilograms of fentanyl, 390 kilograms of meth, 35 kilograms of cocaine, 15 kilograms of MDMA, and 6 kilograms of cannabis.
“To put things into context,” the RCMP said, “the over 95 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl that have been seized could have taken the lives of every Canadian at least twice over.”
A large portion of the product was destined for other countries, reported The Bureau.
The RCMP, in collaboration with the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, intercepted 310 kilograms of meth before it could leave Canada for international markets.
A search warrant was also executed at a Surrey property connected to the Falkland lab.
An internal memo prepared for the Department of Foreign Affairs revealed how fentanyl developed in Canada is being shipped out of the country and around the world.
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) October 21, 2024
MORE: https://t.co/AhB3FrYCAN pic.twitter.com/3kYTzi9xnk
“This enforcement action has neutralized a key production facility that is believed to have been responsible for the production, the distribution of unprecedented qualities of fentanyl and methamphetamine, methamphetamine into Canada and abroad,” said David Teboul, the Commander of the RCMP Federal Policing program in the Pacific Region.
British Columbia has been grappling with a surge in overdose fatalities caused by fentanyl, which has significantly exacerbated the opioid crisis in the province and across Canada.
The state of emergency has prompted more law enforcement action against trafficking networks to mitigate the crisis.
The bust also saw law RCMP officers seize 89 firearms, including dozens of loaded handguns, AR-style assault rifles and submachine guns, alongside considerable ammunition, firearm silencers, high-capacity magazines, body armour, and explosives.
The resulting seizures denied an undisclosed transnational organized crime group an estimated $485 million in profits, Teboul told reporters last week.
In 2023, 82% of all opioid-related deaths involved fentanyl.
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) August 16, 2024
MORE by @WestCdnFirst: https://t.co/bQbrBbttgy pic.twitter.com/rliwbIqtfm
So far, just one person — Gaganpreet Randhawa — is facing a number of drug and firearms charges, including possession and export of controlled substances, possession of prohibited firearms and devices, and possession of explosive devices.
But Teboul says more arrests are expected and that an investigation into the bust remains ongoing.
Though he did not identify the alleged transnational with ties to the drug operation, Postmedia earlier reported that local gangs worked with the Mexican cartels and other entities.
The RCMP Commander underscored the significance of discovering Phenyl-2-Propanone (P2P) to manufacture methamphetamine, a production method typically used by the cartels.
“Manufacturing methamphetamine using P2P had not been seen in Western Canada until now,” Teboul said.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control identified 28 individuals/entities involved with the international proliferation of drugs, including a China-based network responsible for manufacturing fentanyl.
— Andy Lee (@RealAndyLeeShow) October 4, 2023
One is in Canada.https://t.co/vnrZnBBRcM
A recent U.S. congressional report argues that Fentanyl precursors hail from China, whose criminal entities work alongside the cartels to “smuggle and distribute fentanyl in the United States on behalf of the CCP.”
The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) relies less on covert tactics, including the trafficking of fentanyl to exploit societal vulnerabilities among its political enemies, the report states.
Teboul urged Canada’s courts to take criminal cases involving fentanyl more seriously.
“I think it’s time for our justice system to catch up to the reality of the danger of these drugs,” he said. “And I think it’s time for a justice system to be increasingly stiff to this parasitic behaviour, whether it’s by people that are operating in Canada or out of Canada.”
"we have information that Mexican cartels are in Canada and are operating, we don't know if they're behind all of the human smuggling operations."
— Alexandra Lavoie (@ThevoiceAlexa) September 25, 2023
RCMP answers my questions about the criminal groups that are operating smuggling illegal immigrants across the border into Canada.… pic.twitter.com/7sNINpMRfY
The RCMP previously told Rebel News that Mexican cartels traffic in migrants and other illegal contraband, including narcotics.
As first reported by Radio-Canada, criminal entities have established migration routes for illegal contraband to enter Canada and the U.S. under a shroud of secrecy.
The RCMP later received a five-page document detailing how the cartels and “organized criminal groups” have established a stronger foothold in Canada.
“We have investigations ongoing that are looking into these organized networks,” an agency spokesperson told Rebel at the time.
“Because of the lucrative nature, it’s probable that organized crime is behind some of those smuggling operations. But the investigations will reveal that in due time,” he added.
Alex Dhaliwal
Calgary Based Journalist
Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
