Police seize 7 kg of processed fentanyl from rural property in northern Alberta

Police accidental a ample drug bust astatine a agrarian spot successful bluish Alberta this autumn has disrupted what investigators judge was a “superlab” that had go “a important root of fentanyl successful Alberta and Western Canada” successful caller years.

Officials with the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team held a quality league successful Edmonton connected Friday to speech astir what happened erstwhile its unit and members of the RCMP’s clandestine laboratory enforcement effect squad executed a hunt warrant astatine a spot extracurricular of Valleyview, Alta.

“This whitethorn beryllium 1 of the astir important investigations successful the past of ALERT,” said Insp. Angela Kemp with ALERT Edmonton.

“I accidental that due to the fact that we recognize and cognize the consequences of fentanyl and however tragically it has harmed our communities and however we’ve each paid the price.”

To instrumentality down the alleged cause lab, ALERT said astir 70 radical were deployed to the site, including constabulary officers and different exigency personnel, scientists and analysts. The hunt warrant was executed connected Oct. 2 and ALERT said 4 days were spent searching the spot and dismantling the alleged operation.

The hunt yielded the seizure of 7 kilograms of processed fentanyl, 4,200 litres of suspected fentanyl precursor chemicals and 1,500 litres of chemic discarded utilized successful production. Police besides seized a important magnitude of laboratory instrumentality and person since destroyed it.

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“The laboratory instrumentality included rotary evaporators, ample absorption vessels, chillers, concern mixers and galore beakers, flasks and scales,” ALERT said successful a quality release.

“The processed fentanyl seized has an estimated thoroughfare worth of $700,000. With 2 milligrams of fentanyl considered to beryllium a perchance lethal dose, 1 kilogram of fentanyl has the theoretical output of 500,000 fatal doses.”

ALERT said that astatine the clip the hunt warrant was being executed, they judge an “active fentanyl accumulation was taking place.” Officers arrested a 55-year-old man. Stephen Mogg, of Kelowna, B.C., has been charged with accumulation of a controlled substance and possession of fentanyl for the intent of trafficking.

According to ALERT, investigators judge the cause accumulation had been taking spot astatine the tract for astatine slightest 2 years and that it had been “potentially producing multi-kilogram quantities of fentanyl per navigator cycle, with each rhythm taking astir 7 to 8 days.”

ALERT noted that investigators judge the tract was linked to an organized transgression radical operating successful Western Canada that they allege is progressive successful cause production, chemic importation and wholesale distribution.

The broader probe into the alleged operations is ongoing, ALERT said.