West Vancouver police have discovered a large-scale clandestine drug lab following an early morning house fire in the Caulfeild area of the district.
On April 15, at approximately 4 am, West Vancouver Police assisted the fire service in fire suppression at a home in the 4600 block of Birchfeild Place in the Caulfeild area.
Fire crews quickly located items inside that they believed were consistent with items used in clandestine labs.
WVPD immediately called out the RCMP Federal Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement and Response (CLEAR) Team, for their assistance.
The Federal RCMP Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement and Response (CLEAR) team is a specialized police unit responsible for dismantling clandestine drug laboratories and processing the hazardous materials often found within.
Once the fire was extinguished, a search warrant was executed on the property and investigators discovered a large-scale, sophisticated lab inside the home.
The exact drug type that was being manufactured has yet to be determined, as investigators are waiting for test results from Health Canada.
“The West Vancouver Police Major Investigations Team has assumed conduct of the investigation with assistance from the RCMP Federal Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement and Response (CLEAR) Team,” says Cst. Kevin Goodmurphy.
“Once all of the potentially dangerous materials are removed from the house, police will allow fire authorities to investigate the cause of the fire.”
There was nobody home at the time of the fire, and it was determined that the house was being used as a rental property.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone who wishes to speak with police about this incident is asked to phone 604-925-7300 and quote police file #20-3990. If they wish to remain anonymous, they can visit solvecrime.ca or call Crime Stoppers 24/7 at 1-800-222-8477.
Wow! No surprise, though, that a drug lab is discovered in the most improbable location in the Lower Mainland of BC. There are likely many more off-the-radar drug labs in West Vancouver.