SA Police reveal the locations of drug labs dismantled in 2020 | Explore the map and latest stats

A backyard drug lab capable of producing a staggering 120kg of meth every week is just one of many smashed by police in 2020. Explore the locations and latest stats.

Criminals manufacturing and trafficking the misery of illicit drugs are wasting their lives and need to change before they are eventually caught, South Australia’s top drug detective warns.

And the increasing number of larger drug laboratories linked to organised crime in SA is luring low-level players who are “used up and thrown away as stupid and disposable items”.

New figures reveal SA Police last year dismantled labs worth millions of dollars and capable of producing up to 50kg of methamphetamine – or tens of thousands of street deals – a week.

Serious and Organised Crime Branch officer-in-charge detective Superintendent Stephen Taylor said it was only a matter of time before police arrested drug manufacturers and traffickers.

Superintendent Stephen Taylor has put drug manufacturers and traffickers on notice. Picture: Russell Millard

“My simple message is don’t do it and if you choose to ignore this good piece of advice don’t complain when you get caught. You were warned,” Superintendent Taylor told The Advertiser.

“If you invested as much time, money and energy into something that was a lawful way to make money you may well be successful and not have the constant worry of being caught.

“If being a drug manufacturer or drug dealer is something that makes you proud in your life then it is a life wasted.

“If you are involved in something that you wouldn’t be comfortable with your family or kids talking about with their friends then I think you’ve got it wrong. You need to change.”

Latest figures show police uncovered 17 drug labs – including “one of the biggest we’ve seen for many years” at Morphett Vale – and seized 47.5kg of methamphetamine last year.

The Cocks Avenue lab was capable of producing 120kg of methamphetamine – equating to 90,000 street doses – a week.

Police seized 10 litres of high-grade methamphetamine oil, worth about $4m, which could have been cooked to produce at least 10kg of ice with potent purity.

Superintendent Taylor said police had dismantled more labs in previous years but these were smaller and capable only of producing lesser quantities of methamphetamine.

“Generally the bigger drug labs have links to organised crime, which is what we tend to see more of these days,” he said.

“Some of the larger labs we have taken down in South Australia recently have been capable of producing up to 50kg a week if operating at full capacity.”

Superintendent Taylor said people “shouldn’t get hung up” on the number of drug lab detections as a measure of police effectiveness in disrupting the illicit trade.

“A lot of the work performed by my branch is not readily seen here through local media reporting but we operate very much in a national and global environment,” he said.

“We have excellent working partnerships with other law enforcement agencies … which, at times, results in massive seizures interstate and, on occasion, has impacted internationally.”

Police dismantling a drug laboratory – described as “one of the biggest we’ve seen for many years” – at Morphett Vale on August 20, 2020. Picture: Dean Martin

Superintendent Taylor said police tried to make distribution as difficult as possible to stop illicit drugs entering at international and state borders.

He said although there had been success, “clearly we need to do more”, citing challenges including multiple “scatter” imports, the dark net and digital encryption devices.

“Between our partner agencies we’ve made some good progress … so criminals operating in those environments are not immune from prosecution,” Superintendent Taylor said.

“Clearly total dismantlement is our objective. Typically that means arresting and charging those responsible for manufacturing this misery is our ultimate aim.”

Superintendent Taylor said people operating at the top of organised crime syndicates often insulated themselves from a “hands-on” approach.

He said this meant drug cooks, glassware and chemical providers, property facilitators and those involved in transportation wore “the full brunt of the law” and lengthy prison sentences.

“Those operating at the top of the syndicate use these people and lure them in with promises of wealth, which rarely comes,” Superintendent Taylor said.

“Invariably when those adopting the ‘hands-on’ work within the network are caught, they are threatened by syndicate heads not to speak to police and to ‘wear the charges’ themselves.

“They are well and truly used up and thrown away as stupid and disposable items.

“If they really knew how they were thought of, the risk they were taking and the years wasted in jail I’m sure they would take another path in life.”

Superintendent Taylor said exploding drug labs had previously damaged properties and caused serious injuries and death.

“These labs are often located in residential areas … use highly volatile and dangerous chemicals and seriously threaten neighbourhood safety and the environment,” he said.

Superintendent Taylor urged the public to contact Crime Stoppers if they believed there was a drug lab operating in their neighbourhood.

“The Crime Stoppers hotline provides a mechanism for the public to confidentially help police combat the manufacture and distribution of illicit drugs and really make a difference,” he said.

“Everyone can help us. We encourage people to provide information on this insidious drug, including dangerous backyard clandestine laboratory setups where amphetamines are made.”

Originally published as SA Police reveal the locations of drug labs dismantled in 2020 | Explore the map and latest stats