Man faces drug charges after garage explosion

Authorities have laid drug and arson charges against a northwest Calgary man in connection with an explosion in his garage.

Investigators said the man was manufacturing hashish oil, which is a byproduct of marijuana made from the resin of cannabis plants.

Police discovered the operation after firefighters responded Wednesday evening to an explosion and fire inside the garage of a home in the 200 block of Royal Oak Heights N.W.

A man in the house suffered minor burns, but a woman at the house wasn’t injured.

Firefighters called police after discovering four devices they initially thought were pipe bombs.

Investigators from Alberta Law Enforcement Teams arrived and determined the devices were likely homemade filters used to make hash oil.

ALERT investigators obtained a search warrant for the house and found a small marijuana grow operation inside.

Richard Edward Hyde, 33, has been charged with two counts of production of a controlled substance and one count each of possession of marijuana, arson and rendering a property dangerous.

ALERT is an provincial law enforcement agency targeting serious and organized crime.

It comprises 400 investigators from municipal police, RCMP and Alberta sheriffs.