National

Gurpreet Randhawa arrested in most sophisticated illicit drug "superlab" in Canadian history

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 31 Oct, 2024 03:02 PM

Mounties have dismantled what they say is the largest, most sophisticated illicit drug "superlab" in Canada.

Police say they believe organized crime ran the operation where there was mass-production and distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine across Canada and internationally.

Pacific Region RCMP dismantle Canada's largest, most sophisticated drug superlab, seizing record amounts of drugs, precursor chemicals, & war weapons. Operation targets a Transnational Organized Crime group linked to the mass production & distribution of fentanyl & meth across… pic.twitter.com/7GaXoM9r8L
— Sarbraj Singh Kahlon (@sarbrajskahlon) October 31, 2024

Officers served search warrants last week on the drug lab in Falkland, B.C., in the southern Interior, and associated locations in Surrey, in Metro Vancouver.

Police say 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 handguns, AR-15-style rifles and submachine-guns as well as small explosive devices, ammunition, silencers, high-capacity magazines, body armour, and $500,000 in cash.

Investigators say a suspect, Gaganpreet Randhawa, was arrested and is in custody facing numerous drug and firearms-related offences.

Fentanyl is a main ingredient in much of the toxic illicit drugs that have killed nearly 48,000 people across the country between January 2016 and March 2024, according to the federal government.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

White Rock woman charged in theft

A 36-year-old White Rock woman is facing several charges including break and enter, theft and possession of stolen goods, after an alert neighbour in Tsawwassen called police to report a robbery. Delta police say it happened around 4:20 this morning when the neighbour saw a man and woman removing property from the home's garage and putting it in a nearby minivan.

White Rock woman charged in theft

Hackers may have accessed 22 B.C. government inboxes, data on 19 employees: Farnworth

Twenty-two British Columbia government email inboxes with sensitive personal information on 19 employees may have been accessed during a cyber attack on the province's networks, the minister of public safety said on Monday. Mike Farnworth said there's no indication the general public's information was compromised and investigators have not identified any misuse of the information the criminals may have accessed.

Hackers may have accessed 22 B.C. government inboxes, data on 19 employees: Farnworth

Woman's body found in Chilliwack

Homicide detectives have taken over an investigation into the death of a 50-year-old woman in Chilliwack that they say is suspicious. R-C-M-P say officers responded to a sudden death at a city home on Sunday where they found the woman's body.

Woman's body found in Chilliwack

B.C. sets distance for drivers to steer clear of cyclists, scooter users, walkers

Drivers in British Columbia now have to meet minimum distances between their vehicle and people walking or riding on provincial roads. The new rules start Monday and require drivers to stay at least a metre away from vulnerable road users if the speed limit is up to 50 kilometres an hour, and a metre-and-a-half at speeds over that.

B.C. sets distance for drivers to steer clear of cyclists, scooter users, walkers

Feds create $530M fund for cities to adapt to climate change

Canadian cities and towns facing an uphill battle to stave off the effects of climate change will share more than half a billion dollars from a new federal adaptation fund. The Local Leadership for Climate Adaptation initiative will offer up to $1 million to local governments for projects that upgrade or adjust their infrastructure and natural environment to be more protected from extreme weather events including floods, fires and major storms.

Feds create $530M fund for cities to adapt to climate change

Elenore Sturko leaves BC United party for Conservatives to 'defeat the NDP'

Another BC United member has left the party to join the Conservative Party of BC just months before the provincial election. Surrey South MLA Elenore Sturko says in a statement that she's joining the provincial Conservatives to "rebuild the coalition that's needed to defeat the NDP."