Organised crime squad cops have busted open a massive suburban meth lab in Sydney.
Police stormed the lab hidden at a Gladesville address on the lower north shore early on Wednesday, allegedly finding some 50kg of crystallised methylamphetamine inside metal food tins and equipment to manufacture the drug.
Specialist officers from the drug and firearms squad’s chemical operations unit were still working to process and dismantle the lab into Thursday.
The police arrested a 43-year-old man at a home in Pymble at 8.10am after the raid, seizing cash, mobile phones, jewellery and electronic devices.
Two additional search warrants were executed at storage sheds at Gladesville and Petersham about 3pm. Officers allegedly discovered several boxes of imported food products believed to contain meth.
The police estimate the total haul will be more than 100kg of meth.
The police took the man to Hornsby Police Station and charged him with the manufacture and supply of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.
He was refused bail and will appear at Hornsby Local Court on Thursday.
The raid follows the launch of Strike Force Aldred last month to investigate the manufacture of meth across the city.
Organised crime squad commander Detective Superintendent Peter Faux said the swift work of detectives over recent weeks had resulted in the arrest and seizure.
“We will allege in court this laboratory was extracting drugs which had been imported via a complex concealment method in cookie tins and soup containers,” he said.
“This is a clear example of the lengths organised criminal networks will go to in an attempt to bring drugs in.
“Our capabilities to identify and detect illicit drugs only continues to improve with the assistance of our national and international law enforcement partners.
“NSW Police are now working with international agencies to identify any other persons potentially involved in this alleged importation.”