Three men have been charged after OPP say they located a methamphetamine lab north of the village of Madoc on Saturday morning.
Last month, the OPP launched an investigation into a possible meth lab on a secluded property off Highway 62 in Eldorado, about 10 kilometres north of Madoc and approximately 80 kilometres east of Peterborough.
On Saturday around 10:30 a.m., members of the Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau (OCEB), Emergency Response Team, Canine Unit and Central Hastings OPP detachment executed a search under the Controlled Drug and Substance Act at a residence in Tudor and Cashel Township.
OPP say they discovered a meth lab at a residence on Highway 62 north of Madoc. OPP say its OCEB Clandestine Lab team was required to search the residence and a vehicle “due to the use of dangerous chemicals.”
OPP say they seized about 55 pounds of meth – one of the largest seizures many officers involved had ever located at one site.
Than Nguyen, 65, of Hamilton, Nhu Cong Nguy, 50, of North York, and The Khanh Pham, 34, of Mississauga, were arrested and each charged with possession of a Schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking (other drugs) and production of a Schedule I substance – methamphetamines.
They were held in custody for a scheduled bail hearing in Belleville on Sunday.
OPP also executed four other search warrants: two in Hamilton, one in North York and one in Mississauga. There have been no other arrests in connection to these search warrants.
OPP acting Det. Staff Sgt. Chris Kettyle of OCEB stated that producing and trafficking meth “destroys lives, families and communities.” He also noted the environmental damage caused by waste material from the labs.
“Public safety is at risk for the potential for explosions and fire given the volatility of the chemicals involved,” he said.
As of Monday, the house in Eldorado was still under police supervision while authorities waited for a disposal company to deal with the chemicals.
OPP say that in recent months, they have found several chemical dump sites from nearby meth labs like the one found in Eldorado.
The investigation is continuing.
— With files from Alex Mazur
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