Fentanyl designed to look like heroin
Police shut down home lab set up to sell dangerous drug under ‘false pretences’
Police seized nearly $1 million worth of drugs after shutting down an Edmonton drug house where fentanyl was being tailored to look like heroin, say provincial investigators.
Officers executing a search warrant Aug. 8 in the Silverberry neighbourhood discovered the fentanyl processing lab, said the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) in a Thursday news release.
More than two kilograms of processed fentanyl was seized, say investigators with ALERT’s Edmonton crime and gang unit. Police say the fentanyl, if sold as heroin, would be worth about $800,000.
“We have seen street-level dealers passing off fentanyl as other drugs before, but this is one of the first times we’ve encountered a production lab specifically set up to produce fentanyl that would be sold under such false pretences,” said Insp. Marc Cochlin, in charge of ALERT’s Edmonton teams.
“It’s alarming to see producers harbouring such a blatant disregard for the safety of their consumers and for the safety of the community as a whole.”
ALERT officers — with the help of the city police clandestine lab team — also seized 500 grams of fentanyl powder, five kilograms of a buffing agent and $900 cash believed to be proceeds of crime.
In addition, a 2011 Mercedes- Benz sedan was seized. The car will be turned over to the provincial civil forfeiture office for review.
Due to fentanyl contamination in the house, the hazardous materials team from Edmonton Fire Rescue Services was called in to help. Alberta Health Services inspected the home, declaring it unfit for human habitation, and will determine how much remediation will be necessary.
The police operation was launched in December 2017.
Dylan Vande Gutche, 21, and Robert Burke, 18, are each charged with possession of a controlled substance for the purposes of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime.