New Delhi: Indian-origin Gaganpreet Randhawa has been arrested in Canada by the Royal Canadian Mountain Police (RCMP) after its special unit launched a massive crackdown against what is being termed as the country’s largest illegal drug lab.
“Gaganpreet Randhawa was identified as the main suspect, and arrested by Federal Policing Group-6 investigators. Randhawa is currently in custody, and has been charged with numerous drug, and firearms-related offences,” a RCMP statement said Thursday.
According to a press statement, the operation led to massive seizure of drugs, precursors, and firearms across various locations in Metro Vancouver. The RCMP has called this the “largest and most sophisticated fentanyl and methamphetamine drug superlab in Canada”.
“The combined fentanyl and precursors seized at this facility could have amounted to over 95,500,000 potentially lethal doses of fentanyl, which have been prevented from entering our communities, or exported abroad,” the statement read.
“The 95,500,000 million potentially lethal doses of Fentanyl that have been seized, could have taken the lives of every Canadian, at least twice over. Not only has this enforcement action potentially saved over 95 million lives, it has also served to deny this transnational organized crime group an estimated $485 million dollars in profit,” Corporal Arash Seyed, Media Relations Officer for Federal Policing in the Pacific Region, said in a statement.
Investigators have linked this particular crackdown to another enforcement action done by the RCMP where 30 tonnes of precursor chemicals were seized from a rural property in Enderby, British Columbia. “RCMP Federal Investigators are working to determine the source of the precursor chemicals associated with these enforcement actions,” the statement said.
The probe is being handled by RCMP’s Federal Policing units in British Columbia as part of investigation into “transnational organized crime group believed to be involved in the mass-production, and distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine across Canada, and internationally”.
Investigators seized 54 kg of fentanyl, massive amounts of precursor chemicals, 390 kg of methamphetamine, 35 kg of cocaine, 15 kg of MDMA, and 6 kg of cannabis. Additionally, a total of 89 firearms, which included 45 handguns, 21 Ar-15-style rifles, and submachine guns, many of which were loaded and ready for use, were also seized along with $500,000 in cash.
For the production of the crystal methamphetamine, huge quantities of precursor chemicals were to be used using a formula which has been the primary method used by Mexican cartels to produce methamphetamine for years.
The RCMP said that starting Friday, federal investigators executed search warrants on a massive drug superlab in Falkland, British Columbia, and associated locations in the city of Surrey.
Moreover, RCMP federal investigators, with the assistance from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), also detected and intercepted 310 kg of methamphetamine.
(Edited by Tony Rai)