Six people are facing charges after a major fentanyl and meth lab bust in the North Okanagan.
The RCMP says while the raid took place on Trinity Valley Road in Lumby, B.C., more than two years ago, charges were recently approved.
Police executed a search warrant at a home which allegedly contained a massive clandestine laboratory on Oct. 19, 2018.
Large quantities of drugs, precursor chemicals and waste materials were located, police said.
The seizure allegedly included ephedrine hydrochloric acid, methamphetamine, 4-anilino-N-phenethylpiperidine (ANPP), nandrolone phenylpropionate (NPP), fentanyl and solutions containing both fentanyl and ANPP.
The chemical ANPP is a direct precursor to fentanyl, and NPP is an androgen and anabolic steroid, police said.
“Illegally produced fentanyl has been found in an increased number of overdose deaths in B.C.,” said the federal serious and organized crime unit of the RCMP.
“Clandestine laboratories like this are fueling this health crisis.”
RCMP say clandestine laboratories not only produce synthetic drugs without meeting safety standards, but they also produce a significant amounts of waste materials.
That waste can contaminate the environment and cause immeasurable health risks to the public.
“In this instance, there was a very large amount of synthetic waste by-product that had yet to be disposed which posed a significant risk to the local farms and residents living in the area,” said Supt Bert Ferreira, officer in charge of the Federal RCMP border integrity teams in B.C.
The hazardous waste removal and disposal cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, he said.
RCMP said the clandestine laboratory remains one of the largest in B.C.
Michael McMorris, Robyn Bryson, Trent Fussi, Michael Harvey, Tyson Kopp and Michael Piggott all face several counts of drug production-related charges.
Bryson and Fussi both face an additional charge of flight from police.
McMorris, Harvey, Kopp and Piggott are scheduled to appear in Kelowna court on Oct. 27.
Bryson and Fussi remain at large with warrants for their arrest, according to RCMP.
Anyone with information of their whereabouts is asked to call local police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) to report it anonymously.
They can investigate whether any illegal activity is taking place and contact the Federal RCMP CLEAR team to assist if required.
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