It's too soon to know, but police in the GTA may have uncovered the biggest meth lab in Canadian history.
Cops still aren't sure just how much of the drug they're dealing with inside an industrial complex at
1645 Sismet Rd. in the Dixie-401 area of Mississauga. But it's such a large haul, they were having trouble getting a handle on it all. The drug was said to still be cooking inside when they arrived.
As a result, a large area around the lab has been declared off limits, because of the danger it could explode. Both Toronto and Peel Police had been cooperating on a drug case when they received a tip something bad might be going on inside the building.
"We didn't realize the size," confirms Staff Inspector Don Campbell of Toronto Police. "We received some complaints from the people here. They had some suspicions about the building. Our main concern right now is that the chemicals are reacting and that's why we expanded the hot zone."
As it turns out, the suspicious locals were right and cops were stunned by what little they were able to glean from a quick glance inside. Two large cooking areas were spotted and the strong smell of a still unknown chemical sent them scurrying out and waiting for expert teams to arrive.
The area was immediately cordoned off, since meth labs use potentially explosive ingredients.
Twelve people have been arrested including at least four at the scene.
"After they took the four guys away in handcuffs ... we went back there about an hour and a half later and they had another three guys sitting on a skid in handcuffs too," said Doug Tippett, an area business owner.
Cops don't know where the drug was destined to be sold, but think the GTA is a likely candidate. They're still not sure if this is the biggest such bust in Canadian or Ontario history, but Campbell, a veteran drug squad officer, admits it's the 'first he's seen of this type.'
How big is the haul? Police are still estimating the size, but confirm they expect to be at the scene for days dealing with all the potential evidence.