SMH News - Two charged after Sydney drugs lab found

Two charged after Sydney drugs lab found
April 5, 2004

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Police have charged two men after uncovering a drug lab at a unit in Sydney's south east.

About 8pm (AEST) on Friday, police and the NSW Fire Brigade were called to a unit in Brittain Crescent, Hillsdale, following reports of a possible gas leak.

After entering the property, police discovered a large quantity of chemicals and drug-making equipment.

Preliminary testing of a substance found at the unit indicated the presence of cocaine.

Police seized the drugs, which have an estimated potential street value of more than $200,000.

Botany Bay detectives carried out investigations and a covert surveillance operation following the discovery, arresting a 28-year-old man outside his Mascot home on Saturday.

A further covert operation was conducted yesterday, resulting in the arrest of a 27-year-old man at Eastgardens.

The men have been charged with manufacturing a commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.

They were refused bail and are due to appear in Waverley Local Court today.



Well! - What a way to be caught. Reported for a possible gas leak leads to the bust of a drug lab. Poor fools! Now because of the idiots ways they are guests of her majesty! :D

I wonder what, exactly, they were doing?! There is a distinct lack of specifics...

If cocaine was involved, it's quite likely they were attempting to retrieve the coke from a material or solvent used to smuggle it in. It may have been in freebase form, or some odd ester, either which may require some basic chemistry to extract and convert to the HCl salt.

What get's me is the apparent stupidity of the "cooks". Any large quantity of the usual wash solvents, if evaporated off, will produce some odour.

It's highly unlikely this was a cocaine synthesis. The routes to make coke from scratch are complicated and difficult, requiring a level of skill way beyond basic common sense, which may have been somewhat lacking in the above operation 8)

Why oh why do they do such things in inner city appartments.... seriously go somewhere a little less populated incase some smells do geta way!