DRUG WASTE DUMPED IN PARK

More than 200 litres of liquid had leaked from broken containers, but
quick response minimized damage, police say

Police, firefighters and the B.C. Ministry of the Environment had to
clean up a mess left by drug dealers on the edge of Derby Reach
Regional Park on Friday.

A park employee found the dump site, in the 10700 block of Allard
Crescent, said Staff Sgt. Mike Harding of the RCMP Drug Enforcement Branch.

The drums and pails, some of them broken and spilling, had been left
there overnight. About 200 litres of toxic waste had been spilled
onto the ground.

Harding said thanks to the quick discovery, there is minimal
environmental damage. ON Friday, a contractor was in the process of
removing the waste safely.

Most hazardous drug waste comes from the creation of methamphetamines
and ecstasy. Corrosive chemicals including sulphuric acid, sodium
hydroxide and hydrocholoric acids are used, along with acetone,
ether, methanol, iodine and lithium.

This is not the first time Langley emergency crews have been called
out to deal with waste left from drug labs. It has been found in
barrels or bins at several other locations around the Township in
recent years, usually in rural areas or parks.