Delta Police uncover large fentanyl lab operation in several cities; seize cash and weapons

A regional investigation that started eight months ago resulted in the Delta Police seizing a large cache of drugs, weapons and money.

During a series of coordinated raids in Burnaby, Surrey and Richmond in March, police seized more than $1.5 million in cash and weapons including automatics and silencers in an operation called starboard.

Today, Delta police showed off some of the items seized from the large fentanyl bust which included 12 kilograms of cocaine, 4.5 kilograms of heroin, $100,000 worth of pills, including oxycontin, and 125 grams of pure fentanyl.

Police consider this the next level for organized crime with the processing drug labs being operated like kitchens and where the fentanyl was being mixed with other substances to make counterfeit heroin.

READ MORE: B.C. declares public health emergency after significant increase in drug overdoses

For the drug traffickers the profits are enormous but for the users, it’s potentially deadly.

“If the recipe was messed up while they were baking fentanyl to look like heroin, of course that leads to catastrophic results,” said Delta Police Chief Nel Dubord.

“People who are using this drug at the street level thinking that if they use their regular heroin, that they take on a regular basis, and all of a sudden this recipe on this counterfeit heroin isn’t the same, that could result in death.”

There were more than 270 fentanyl deaths in B.C. last year. So far in 2016, there have been more than 200 fentanyl deaths in the province.

Thirty-five-year-old Scott Pipping from Surrey and 27-year-old Adam Summers of Delta were arrested and are facing 21 charges with more to follow. The pair is currently in custody.

Delta Police Acting Sgt. Sarah Swallow said a 35-year-old man from Delta and a 25-year-old from Richmond were also arrested for trafficking. Their charges are currently pending.

The investigation is ongoing and more arrests are expected.

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