‘I’ve never seen anything this big’: Crews clean out Cathedral drug lab as residents return to apartments

Crews are cleaning out the remnants of an apartment suite in Regina’s Cathedral neighbourhood following an explosion caused by a drug lab.

On July 2, residents were forced out of Modern Apartments on Robinson Street following an explosion and fire in one of the apartment’s basement suites.

Upon further investigation, police discovered a clandestine extraction lab, along with a large amount of marijuana, cannabis resin and drug paraphernalia.

Regina Police are currently searching for the occupant of the apartment, 41-year-old Chi (Tom) Qouc Thang.

Police say the drug lab was a highly sophisticated one.

“The ones we have previously investigated were not to the same size or complexity that this one was, so it was a bit of a bigger scale operation,” Regina Police Service spokesperson Kim Schmidt said.

The crew working on cleaning up the apartment says they’ve dealt with drug lab explosions before, but they’ve never seen anything like this.

“The ones I’ve done before were contained to single rooms, whereas this was the entire apartment,” Brendan Campbell, the owner and operator of Regina Dumping and Hauling, said.

“It was exploded everywhere, every room, every hallway. I’ve never seen anything this big, it’s a big one.”

The suite above the drug lab was also severely damaged.

“The firefighters got the fire out before it went up there, but the smoke damage was so severe he lost everything,” Campbell said. “(It’s) pretty sad.”

While the building has been deemed safe for tenants to return, some have chosen not to. Campbell says there is still a heavy odour and smoke that spread throughout the building.

The Saskatchewan Landlord Association says they’ve previously dealt with concerns over similar incidents.

“In the past concerns that have come to us have been regarding other labs such as methamphetamines being cooked,” Chanda Lockhart, the Saskatchewan Landlord Association’s Executive Officer, said.

Lockhart says it’s an issue that renters should be aware of.

“If you’re noticing an increase in activity into the home, people are coming at a regular intervals, maybe there’s foil in the windows or dark sheets put up” Lockhart said.

“There’s strong odours; if they are having a meth or crack lab there will be strong odours of burnt plastic. If it’s marijuana, there’s generally a very pungent odour that’s coming from the unit. Contact the landlord and/or police if those things are noticeable, because it’s better to be proactive.”