Seven people are facing charges after an RCMP bust at a synthetic drug lab in northern Ontario led to the seizure of more than $550,000 of suspected controlled substances.
A joint investigation with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) uncovered a network of individuals operating a clandestine drug laboratory on a property in Sturgeon Falls, along the Trans-Canada Highway, the RCMP said in a press release.
Sturgeon Falls is a town of nearly 7,000 residents located between Sudbury and North Bay on Highway 17.
Officers located and dismantled an active clandestine drug-producing laboratory after carrying out a series of search warrants at multiple locations in the area on June 18, police said. Investigators seized approximately 42 kilograms of suspected MDMA, 7 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine, and controlled precursor chemicals.
Additional search warrants, including those executed within three sea-can shipping containers, uncovered an additional 540 kilograms of suspected controlled precursor chemicals and catalysts often used in the creation of synthetic drugs, police said.
The confiscated chemicals included nitric acid and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), a chemical used in cleaning solutions and nail polish but can also be used as a date rape drug.
Nitric acid is a chemical related to the manufacturing of methamphetamine and explosive devices. GBL can be used to make gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), often used as a date-rape drug because its sedative effects incapacitate victims, making it difficult for them to resist sexual assault. GBL can also be converted to GHB in the body.
“These hazardous and highly corrosive substances were stored in unsafe conditions, posing significant risks to public safety and first responders,” police said.
Six men and one woman have been charged in connection with the investigation.
Brian Luong, 48, of Nobleton, Ont.; 31-year-old Sebastian Toulouse of Sturgeon Falls, Ont.; 45-year-old James Wen Liu of Markham, Ont.; 50-year-old Hang Lin of Scarborough, Ont.; 38-year-old Pierre-Yves Fleury of Longueuil, Que.; and Niagara Falls, Ont., residents Jason Brian Kaye, 53, and Danika Landry, 34, each face a number of drug charges related to production, possession, or conspiracy.
The full list of charges each suspect faces can be found here.
Luong was remanded in custody while Kaye, Fleury, and Lin are awaiting bail hearings, police said. Toulouse and Wen Liu were released on bail conditions, and Landry was released on an undertaking with conditions.
RCMP Supt. Chris McGillis described the bust and seizure at the Sturgeon Falls lab as a “significant disruption to criminal activity in Ontario.”
“By removing these drugs, precursor chemicals and production capabilities from circulation, investigators have helped prevent substantial harm to our communities,” McGillis said.
OPP Chief Superintendent Mike Stoddart characterized synthetic drug labs as a safety concern that requires “specialized investigative and response capabilities.”
“Through the expertise of the investigators involved, this laboratory was safely dismantled, preventing further production and reducing the risks associated with these dangerous substances,” he added.
Police are asking anyone with information related to clandestine labs to contact the Ontario RCMP or Crime Stoppers.
