Surrey RCMP’s drug unit, firefighters and the Mounties’ Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement and Response Team (CLEAR) descended on a South Surrey condominium complex, following a police incident early Friday in the 1800-block of Southmere Crescent.
Health Canada representatives also attended, as investigators indicated a suspected “mini meth lab” was discovered in the underground parking area.
Crews cordoned off the area and restricted residents’ movements while the lab – in a two-litre pop bottle, described as “a one-pot system… highly volatile” – was carefully extracted.
The threat was deemed all but eliminated after the bottle lid was removed that afternoon and the contents did not react.
“It’s really an unimpressive meth lab to look at right now,” an officer with CLEAR told Peace Arch News after the operation was complete shortly after 3:30 p.m.
“They are really explosive.”
In addition, they’re not often seen in Canada, he said.
Samples from the bottle are to be analyzed to confirm the contents – results of which are not expected for “a couple months” – and a hazardous-waste company picked up the bottle and other items found at the scene.
Police confirm seven people were arrested – two women and five men – in connection with the discovery, which was the subject of an ongoing investigation.
The first three were arrested prior to the execution of a search warrant. Four were arrested during the search, which took place shortly after midnight and continued until 3 a.m.
All seven – between 22 and 37 years old – have since been released, and drug-related charges are pending. Investigation is ongoing.
Surrey RCMP Cpl. Bert Paquet said Monday that police seized “multiple chemicals used in and resulting from synthetic drug production” from the parking stall and a residential unit associated to it.
At the scene Friday, a resident of the building said she saw “all kinds of bottles and stuff” in the stall. The third-storey unit targeted by police has been a source of concern for residents for months, she said.