Canadian mountains bust massive drug ‘super lab’ linked to transnational organized crime

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canadian police dismantled what they said Thursday was the country’s largest and most sophisticated illicit drug “super lab.”

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police believe organized crime led the operation in which there was mass production and distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamines in Canada and internationally.

Officers executed search warrants last week at the drug lab in Falkland, British Columbia and associated locations in Surrey in Metro Vancouver.

Police said they seized 54 kilograms of fentanyl, “massive” amounts of precursor chemicals, 390 kilograms of methamphetamine and smaller amounts of cocaine, MDMA and cannabis.

They also found a total of 89 firearms, including pistols, AR-15-style rifles and submachine guns, as well as small explosive devices, ammunition, silencers, high-capacity magazines, body armor and $500,000 Canadian ($359,000) in cash. .

Investigators said a suspect, Gaganpreet Randhawa, was arrested and is in custody facing numerous drug and firearms charges.

Fentanyl is a main ingredient in many of the toxic illicit drugs that killed nearly 48,000 people in Canada between January 2016 and March 2024, according to the Canadian government.