The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) say three people have been arrested and nearly $10 million worth of synthetic opioids seized in what they describe as a major drug lab takedown in Ontario.
In a news release Friday, police said the investigation also uncovered firearms, $8,000 in cash, and a range of chemical precursors capable of producing millions of dollars’ worth of additional drugs.
According to the RCMP, the investigation began in the spring after a man placed a suspicious chemical order through his business. By July, investigators had identified three suspects allegedly involved in manufacturing synthetic drugs at a clandestine lab in Schomberg, Ont.
A second storage site was later discovered in Port Colborne, Ont., said Supt. Jonathan Ko during a news conference in Newmarket. He explained that it took 10 days for hazardous materials teams to neutralize and clean up roughly 20,000 litres of toxic waste found at the Schomberg lab.
“The swift, coordinated actions and successful outcomes like this are only possible through strong collaboration and trust between agencies,” Ko said.
He added that the laboratory was located in an outbuilding on a large rural property, which the suspects had been renting. “The owners had absolutely no idea what was going on,” Ko said. Based on the amount of finished product and waste recovered, police believe the lab had been operating for some time. There was no evidence the drugs were being exported, he added.
During a search on Sept. 7, officers found a pill press, chemical glassware, drug formulas, and other materials used in production. The seized substances — including MDMA, methamphetamine, and GHB — weighed approximately 239 kilograms in total.
The three suspects now face 33 charges, ranging from production and trafficking of controlled substances to unlawful possession of firearms.
RCMP Chief Supt. Chris Leather said the operation highlights the critical importance of coordinated drug enforcement. “We prevented the future production of millions of dollars’ worth of synthetic drugs, protected our communities from harm, and averted a potentially dangerous public safety incident caused by the unsafe storage of hazardous chemicals,” he said.
Leather added that the case reflects a growing national trend in Canada — one marked by increasingly sophisticated domestic drug operations. “Law enforcement and public health agencies are seeing more in-country labs, more advanced chemical methods, and a shift from importing synthetic drugs to manufacturing them locally,” he said.
He emphasized that stopping these operations requires stronger intelligence sharing, stricter controls over chemical precursors, and rapid intervention when suspicious activity is detected.
Police are awaiting Health Canada’s analysis of the seized chemicals. The RCMP said it has dismantled 50 drug labs across Canada since the beginning of 2024.
