RCMP seize massive amounts of chemicals used to make synthetic opioids

Rob Gibson – Jun 23, 2022 / 2:01 pm | Story: 372792

Photo: BC RCMP

Mounties seized large amounts of chemicals used in the production of synthetic drugs in early June.

Thousands of litres of industrial solvents along with large amounts of precursor chemicals used in the production of synthetic opioids were seized from a rural home in Chilliwack.

The BC RCMP Federal Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement and Response team executed a search warrant on a residence on Extrom Road in Chilliwack.

The search turned up a significant cache of chemicals used in synthetic drug production as well as other signs that a clandestine laboratory was in the early construction stages.

The chemicals recovered, 160 litres of a Class A precursor, propionyl chloride, and over 2,000 litres of industrial solvents, are used to produce synthetic drugs.

“The recovery of these precursors represents a significant disruption to the illicit synthetic drug market. More importantly, this seizure prevents additional deadly drugs from harming our communities that continue to suffer from the opioid crisis,” said RCMP Superintendent Bert Ferreira, officer in charge of the BC RCMP Federal Serious & Organized Crime Border Integrity Program.

According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, a lethal dose of pure fentanyl is two milligrams, which is roughly the size of a few grains of sugar. The amount of propionyl chloride seized could have made 320 kilograms of pure fentanyl, which is equivalent to 320 one-kilogram bags of sugar.

No arrests were made at the residence and no charges have yet been laid. The investigation is ongoing.