Firearms and drugs are displayed following a police operation in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. CFSEU-BC
British Columbia’s gang squad said it discovered what would have been a sophisticated illicit drug operation, while also seizing commercial explosives, firearms, and drugs.
RCMP Sgt. Sarbjit Sangha, who is with the province’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said the 65 cubes of commercial explosives are strictly regulated in Canada and only available to authorized blasting companies.
“The presence of these explosives, alongside illegal firearms and sophisticated drug lab, significantly elevated the public safety concerns associated with this investigation,” Sangha said during a July 29 press conference in front of a display of the seized items.
The police investigation began in February after the Illegal Firearms Enforcement Team identified someone believed to be involved in firearms trafficking and the production of controlled substances.
Police used warrants in May to search locations in Abbotsford, Surrey, and Enderby during their investigation. Four people were arrested and have been released while the investigation is ongoing, and could face firearms and drug-related charges.
Sangha said the drug lab was under construction at the time of the police raid, and had not yet begun producing illicit drugs. Police found prohibited weapons that had been privately made, as well as 11 illegal suppressors and overcapacity bullet magazines.
In addition to the weapons discovered on the rural Abbotsford property, police found drugs like fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroine, cocaine, MDMA, and oxycodone.
Investigators also confiscated four gold bars, 32 silver bars, $4,000 in cash, five vehicles and a motorcycle, and a stolen Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss.
Sangha said the success of the investigation meant that a “sophisticated synthetic drug lab never became operational” and “dangerous drugs never entered our communities.”
Sangha said she could not comment on which criminal organization the suspects belong to, but said that they are known to police and have criminal records.
