Biggest drug lab in Qld history uncovered in major raid at Rothwell storage units

A “super lab” uncovered in a raid north of Brisbane could have produced about half a billion dollars’ worth of meth, police allege.

Police have uncovered what is believed to be the largest planned clandestine drug laboratory located in Queensland’s history during a raid on three units at a storage facility north of Brisbane.

They allege they located “super lab” equipment including the 900kg of Benzyl methyl ketone after executing three search warrants at a National Storage facility in Rothwell about 9am on Tuesday.

“The equipment and chemicals indicate commercial drug production and it is estimated the ‘super lab’ would have produced approximately half a billion dollars’ worth of methylamphetamine from the 900kg of BMK seized,” police said in a statement.

They also said a handgun was found.

Some of the sophisticated equipment uncovered in the raid.

Two Brisbane men are in custody and expected to be charged at a later date.

Queensland Police Service Regional Crime Co-ordinator Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham said preliminary information indicates this is the largest clandestine drug laboratory located in Queensland’s history.

“That is not only in relation to the $1m price tag on the equipment … but in terms of the scale of this operation,” he said.

“Conservatively, we believe that this laboratory would have produced close to a tonne of methamphetamine based on the quantity of precursor and the size of the equipment.”

Police have uncovered $1m of equipment in what is believed to be the largest, planned clandestine drug laboratory in Queensland’s history, following a raid north of Brisbane.

The investigation involved detectives from the Carseldine Criminal Investigation Branch, the Australian Federal Police and the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Task Force and targeted the commercial international importation of drugs into Australia.

AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said the amount of precursor material and the cost of the industrial scale lab equipment could “only be put together by a well-established organised crime syndicate”.

Police say it appears to be a highly sophisticated and well-funded organised crime operation.

“The sheer scale of this operation shows that the AFP and our partners have uncovered a highly sophisticated and well-funded organised crime operation,” Det Supt Telfer said.

“The AFP is working with the QPS and other law enforcement partners to identify the criminals linked to this operation to prevent them profiting at the expense of our communities.”

“Stopping this lab from ever being operational in Australia is a significant victory for law enforcement and a credit to the hard work of the Queensland Joint Organised Task Force (QJOCTF).”

Police allege the equipment and chemicals indicate commercial drug production and it is estimated the ‘super lab’ would have produced approximately half a billion dollars’ worth of methylamphetamine.

Det Supt Massingham said police believed the syndicate planned to move the equipment to an isolated location to commence drug production.

He said the raid would likely prevent a “tidal wave of methamphetamine reaching our young people”.

Det Supt Massingham said the raid is connected to individuals involved in a raid at a Pinkenba facility earlier in the year.

That Breaking Bad-esque meth lab in a Brisbane industrial area was one of the biggest and most disturbing commercial labs police have seen in Queensland in many years.

A handgun was also found during the raid.

More than $5.5 million in crystal methamphetamine and $500,000 cash was seized from the Pinkenba warehouse during a raid after a month-long police investigation.

Commenting in June about the Pinkenba raid, Det Supt Massingham said the amount of drugs seized and the purity of the meth was almost “chemist” grade, and something police had never seen cooked to this level in Queensland.

Police at the National Storage facility in Rothwell.

Police found 27kg of “finished product” crystal meth at the warehouse, which they say was cooked in two different ways.

One of the processes used at the lab was the P2P method – the primary method for large-scale production in the US and Mexico which used different chemicals and created a more intense product.

It’s also the same method used in the popular TV show, “Breaking Bad”.

Police executed three search warrants at the facility in Rothwell about 9am on Tuesday. .

Of Tuesday’s raid, Det Supt Massingham said police believe they have uncovered 900 kilograms of benzyl methyl ketone an “important ingredient in the manufacture of (crystal meth)” along with $1 million worth of equipment.

It is understood the precursor would create close to a tonne of crystal meth.