Clandestine laboratories where new drugs are manufactured are growing and becoming more complex. When they are dismantled, they leave behind toxic waste that can be costly and dangerous to dispose of.
In British Columbia alone, the RCMP has spent several million dollars over the past five years to eliminate chemicals found in clandestine laboratories. However, part of the cleaning bill is left to building owners who often turn to private companies.
The British Columbia Association of Realtors considers that it is necessary to adopt rules for a former laboratory site to be remediated.
Dean May, the co-owner of one of these private companies, says manufacturing synthetic drugs, like fentanyl and methamphetamines, requires chemicals that can be more toxic than growing marijuana and quicker to implement. This means that it is easier for a tenant to transform a premises into a laboratory without the owner knowing.
“You can transform a house into a laboratory in a matter of days. It takes more time to establish a marijuana crop,” he emphasizes.
Staff Sergeant Derek Westwick, who leads the RCMP's Clandestine Laboratory Response Team (CLRT) in British Columbia, says the rise of fentanyl labs has contributed to increased use greater number of toxic products.
In these circumstances, these products can even melt the officers' protective equipment.
When a crew enters a property, they wear breathing apparatus similar to those of firefighters. Protective clothing is attached to boots and gloves with ribbons made not to melt.
If investigators aren't sure what products they're dealing with, the team provides them with a wide variety of gloves, each designed to protect against something different, Sergeant Westwick said.
“It's not the fentanyl itself, it's these chemical components which have different characteristics and which can quickly penetrate our equipment. And they can do it very quickly.”
Sergeant Westwick says it's increasingly rare to see criminals leave toxic ingredients in barrels that will be picked up by accomplices. As they fear being denounced by these barrels, they prefer to throw away these products.
“It’s more serious because these products end up in drains, in septic tanks or in yards.”
For example, in 2017, provincial environmental officials had to dig through 30 cubic meters of contaminated soil on the grounds of a former meth lab in Rock Creek. Authorities had ordered 25 households to stop using their water.
Over the past five years, the RCMP has had to spend just under $2 million to remove toxic products from clandestine laboratories in British Columbia alone.
The RCMP is only responsible for disposing of chemicals found when their officers have a warrant. Everything else is the responsibility of the owner, regardless of the damage suffered.
“I don’t clean labs. The occupants leave them in a mess. I take all the products to make them safer. I'll grab precursors or things related to the crime. But if the floor is toxic, if there are refrigerators or freezers, they are contaminated and I am not going to seize them, says the police officer. So it’s only a fraction of what we spend.”
If the police notice that toxic products have been thrown away, they contact the Ministry of the Environment who will decide what action to follow.
