DRUG LAB IN HOUSE SPARKS MASSIVE CLEANUP OPERATION

RICHMOND - The cleanup of a Richmond house raided in a massive drug
bust on Monday is expected to be completed today, police say. They say
the cleanup took longer than expected because of the chemicals found
inside.

Richmond RCMP Cpl. Dave Williams said in a statement Tuesday that
police found what they believe is 35 kilograms of methamphetamine,
five kilograms of ecstasy powder and nine pill presses in a house in
the 3600-block of Raymond Avenue.

Police said the methamphetamine would have a street value of about
$490,000, while five kilograms of ecstasy would be the equivalent of
50,000 pills, worth about $150,000.

During the raid, police arrested eight men and executed five search
warrants throughout the Lower Mainland.

In the 4100-block of Halifax Street in Burnaby, police seized what
they suspect is one kilogram of cocaine, 200 to 300 grams of
methamphetamine, and about 500 pills of ecstasy, Williams said.

In the 7400-block of Gilbert Road in Richmond, they found what they
believe is 78 kilograms of ecstasy powder and 20 kilograms of ecstasy
pills.

"The Gilbert Road address was primarily a 'storage facility' for the
street ready drugs," Williams said.

The statement did not reveal what was found at the other two
addresses, one on Thorpe Avenue in Richmond, the other in the
5600-block of Melborn Street in Vancouver.