CYSTAL METH BUST HITS CLOSE TO HOME

Ten kilograms of the drug Methamphetamine, also known as "Crystal Meth" was
seized from a rural property Wednesday, near Didsbury. Didsbury RCMP
responded to an unrelated matter when they encountered what is being
considered the largest clandestine drug labs in Alberta. This quantity, if
sold on the street would be worth $800,000.

A realtor at work came upon the drug shop and notified RCMP that something
suspicious was going on, thinking they could be growing marijuana.

Local Mounties, with the assistance of Calgary RCMP members, Red Deer and
Edmonton Drug Units, and the Clandestine Lab Enforcement and Response Team
from Edmonton are further processing and analysing to confirm the amount
and the nature of the substance.

"Crystal Meth is an extremely addictive drug. It's something made through
chemistry. It's not something which takes a great deal of time to produce.
It's not like a marijuana grow operation where you have to plant the tree
and wait for it to mature and grow. That is not the case at all. It's
something that is mixed through various chemicals and the byproducts are
toxic. The production of it is very dangerous in the sense of the fumes
that one is using. There are things in there like rubbing alcohol, sodium
hydroxide, ether, ammonia, paint thinner and other lethal products," said
RCMP Cst. Al Fraser from Edmonton.

RCMP are investigating a possible chemical spill near the intersection of
RR 3.5 and the Carstairs Blind Line Road, 4 kms down from the lab. Due to
the proximity of the spill and the lab, they suspect this may be a dumping
site for the lab.

Two men from Calgary, John Brown, age 32, and Jody McGuey, age 29, have
been charged with unlawfully producing a controlled substance,
Methamphetamine, contrary to Section 7(1) of the Controlled Drugs and
Substances Act, and unlawfully possessing a substance, for the purpose of
trafficking.

Clandestine labs are considered extremly hazardous due to the variety of
chemical compounds often used during the manufacturing process. In some
cases exposure to these substances can be lethal. Police are being assisted
in their response by the RCMP CLEAR Team and officals from Health Canada.
The cleanup is estimated to take several days.

"This happened in small town Alberta where one wouldn't think for this to
happen. When you look at that area it's seen as beautiful," said Fraser.
"Who would think that there would be a Crystal Meth lab there?"

-With files from Shawne Mohl