Rancid drug lab that could have blown up entire block is dismantled in Sydney
A huge suburban drug lab, big enough to blow up an entire residential block, was in the middle of cooking ice when detectives arrived.
A massive suburban drug laboratory that police say could have blown up an entire block was in the middle of cooking ice when detectives arrived on Thursday night.
The clandestine drug lab was spread out over six rooms in a rented house in Chipping Norton, Sydney, and has been described by investigators as one of the most contaminated sites they have ever seen.
Two men had to be taken to hospital after the police raid – one because he was high, and the other because he was bitten on the backside by a police dog after trying to flee across a six-lane road.
The lab was believed to be capable of producing hundreds of kilograms of ice a week. The house was less than 50m from St Joseph’s Primary School.
“Had the cook proceeded and anything gone wrong, there was enough acetone in the air to blow the entire block up,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith told 2GB.
“If people were to see the rancid conditions that these drug labs were being prepared under, they’re probably less likely to take the damn stuff,” he said.
It comes ahead of one of the biggest party weekends of the year, and follows five deaths from suspected drug overdoses at Sydney music festivals since September.
“It’s significant at this time when we’re in the middle of this challenge with dance festivals and drug use that we make such significant arrests,” Mr Smith said.
A total of four men were arrested. One was a former high ranking member of the 5T Vietnamese crime gang.
Detectives from the State Crime Command’s Drug and Firearms Squad established Strike Force Kiek in August last year to investigate the manufacture and supply of drugs across Sydney’s south west.
Entering the home at 9pm Thursday, detectives found a large-scale clandestine laboratory in the process of manufacturing ice.
Chemicals and precursors used to manufacture MDMA were also discovered.
A 35-year-old man ran from the home and was arrested by officers from the Dog Unit and Tactical Operations Unit. He was being treated in hospital, along with a 48-year-old man arrested at the property.
A 52-year-old man and a 48-year-old man were also arrested and charged with producing a commercial quantity of prohibited drugs.
It came as police separately seized 154kg of heroin that had been imported into Sydney via air cargo from Malaysia on January 6.
The Australian Border Force says its staff noticed anomalies in packed crates purporting to be gym equipment and supplements. NSW Police, the ABF, NSW Crime Commission and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission forced Strike Force Roath to investigate.
Investigators conducted a controlled delivery to a home at Arncliffe on Wednesday. Four men were arrested, with police executing search warrants at homes at Arncliffe, Burwood, Chippendale, Croydon Park and Lidcombe.
Police seized a further 7.5kg of heroin, 35kg of methylamphetamine, more than $200,000 in cash and various drug-related items.
The drug haul had a combined estimated street value of $107 million.
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