Those involved with mental health and addictions suggest the number of drug labs has increased since COVID-19 to meet the demand for substances that may be harder to get due to travel restrictions. But the RCMP warns: buyer beware.
Staff Sergeant Steve Conohan is on the Integrated Clandestine Drug Lab team. He says methamphetamines are typically manufactured by trained chemists. If not, there’s no guarantee the results will be what the buyer is looking for.
Conohan says cooks are more than likely following a recipe they got off the internet—most of which are missing crucial steps. In some cases, that process and product could prove deadly if the cook doesn’t know what they’re doing.
Most local labs dismantled by police have proved to be those operated by “cooks,” but they have seen much more sophisticated operations in Atlantic Canada.
Staff Sergeant Steve Conohan spoke with VOCM’s Linda Swain. Listen below: