KELOWNA – Charges have been laid following a police raid of a West Kelowna business allegedly using fentanyl to produce fake prescription drugs for the illegal drug trade.
In March, the RCMP’s clandestine drug lab team from the Lower Mainland helped search the rented premises of Kandy and Krome Kustoms, a automobile restoration shop.
Police say the following items were seized:
-An estimated 500 fake Percocet and OxyContin pills;
-195 grams of powder suspected to be Fentanyl;
-2 industrial pill presses which police believe each have the capacity of producing about 2500 pills per hour;
-chemical mixer which showed significant signs of use;
-8 kg’s of suspected Fentanyl powder recovered from a shop vacuum believed to be used to clean up after pill production.
“Police estimate that this operation has potentially produced hundreds of thousands of pills, likely distributed locally and possibly beyond,” said Kelowna RCMP Sgt. Alex Lynch in a news release.
A second search warrant was executed at a Petterson Road residence where more counterfeit Oxycontin pills were found as well as gold bars suspected of being stolen.
$40,000 in cash and two vehicles were also seized as proceeds of crime.
Leslie John McCulloch, 37, and Rebekka Rae White, 26, are each charged with production of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking.
White also faces two counts of possession of a controlled substance.