DRUG EVIDENCE TRULY EXPLOSIVE, SO IT'S ON VIDEO

THE inner-workings of a massive clandestine drug lab were on display
in a Winnipeg courtroom yesterday - although justice officials dared
not bring the actual evidence to court for fearing of blowing up the
downtown Law Courts complex.

Instead, a video presentation of more than 100 photographs provided a
safe, but revealing glimpse, into the dangerous manufacturing of
designer drugs.

David Grace, 36, has pleaded not guilty to several charges stemming
from the November 2002 raid on Valour Road, which was only the second
of its kind in Manitoba.

His two-week trial began yesterday.

The case often sounded more like a high school chemistry class as a
police expert walked a judge and lawyers through the various items
seized from the home. Although it appeared unassuming from the
outside, pictures show the main floor, basement and upstairs were
filled with various chemicals. The house was extremely messy, and the
only thing police found in the fridge were more ingredients to make
drugs.

A book on "organic chemistry" was found lying on the only bed in the
home, next to a large bottle of ether. There was also a homemade
ventilation system which helped clear the air of toxic, flammable fumes.

Police say the lab was capable of producing ecstasy and GHB, which is
also known as the "date rape" drug. There may have also been efforts
to make crystal methamphetamine.

The recovered chemicals inside the home were reactive and highly
flammable, and police said the house could have exploded if it wasn't
ventilated properly.

Grace was renting the property and was found inside when police, armed
with a warrant and clad in protective bio-hazard outfits, stormed in.

He had to be stripped naked and hosed down on the street prior to
being arrested.

Manitoba Environment, the Health Protection Branch and the Winnipeg
Fire Department's hazardous materials unit also assisted in the raid.

Officials spent nearly a week working inside the home to decontaminate
it and gather evidence. They quickly shut down the furnace for fear of
triggering an explosion. Defence lawyer Ian Garber says a major part
of the case will be determining the validity of the police search and
whether the seized evidence should be admitted against his client.