LANGLEY HAS ITS SHARE OF METH ISSUES

Mounties have busted half a dozen clandestine drug labs in Langley homes in
the past 12 months.

The majority of the labs dismantled were cooking up crystal meth and some
were for making ecstasy, said media relations officer Cpl. Dale Carr.

"Meth labs are a huge public safety concern. The chemicals involved are
extremely volatile, can explode at any time and if inhaled can cause
irreparable damage to an individual," Carr said.

The most recent bust was on Feb. 23, when a Vancouver's Crime Lab members
dismantled what he called "one of the Lower Mainland's largest meth labs
ever seen."

The lab was being housed in the basement of a rental home owned by the
Langley United Church in the 5600 block of 200 Street.

Langley City's chief building inspector Tim Hickey condemned the building,
ordering it to be demolished.

In an earlier interview with The Times, Hickey said the amount of chemicals
found in that basement had the potential to blow up a large portion of the
church, which neighbours the rental home.

Police said meth makers have "a complete disregard" for how they dispose of
the volatile chemicals.

"They'll dump the chemicals down household drains which goes to our sewer
system. It can get backed up, causing underground gas explosions," Carr said.

What might be just as frightening about crystal meth is what it does to a
person, said Carr.

"It isn't a drug someone could take casually," he said. "It's highly
addictive, cheap to buy and has a high that lasts a long time. It's driving
a lot of the criminal activity right now. It allows a person to stay up all
night. You have no appetite, so it's a real drug of choice for street kids."

Langley RCMP's street enforcement unit seized crystal meth, marijuana and
drug trafficking paraphernalia along with more than $100,000 worth of
stolen goods in a home in the 23600 block of Old Yale Road last December.
Following at tip and surveillance, an investigation led police to believe
that visitors to the residence were trading stolen property in exchange for
drugs, particularly crystal meth.

A 30-year-old woman living in the residence was arrested for trafficking
drugs and being in possession of stolen property.

Mounties said stolen goods were stacked from floor to ceiling throughout
the home. One person visiting the property at the time of the executed
search warrant was found to be in possession of five stolen digital
cameras, along with other items.