WA police concerned over drug labs

West Australian police say they are concerned at the number of children found living
at houses where dangerous clandestine drug laboratories have been operating.
Police say they have uncovered six clandestine labs in just two days, on Wednesday
and Thursday, bringing the total number of labs uncovered in the state to 63 this
year.
Detective-Inspector Alan Morton said children were found at two of those sites and
police were seriously concerned they were sometimes living in rooms where
potentially-explosive chemicals were stored.
In one instance police found chemicals stored above a child's cot.
"It's absolutely disgraceful when you consider in Western Australia we have parents
who are prepared to put their children at such significant risk all in the pursuit
of some small amount of an illicit drug," he said.
Det Insp Morton told reporters on Friday that those running the clandestine labs
were not experienced chemists and were mixing volatile chemicals that could easily
explode, as seen too often in recent years.
In instances where children were found living beside the clandestine labs, police
worked with the Department of Child Protection and other relevant authorities to
ensure their care, he said.
The six labs discovered in the past two days were found in Perth and surrounding
locations and at Port Hedland in the Pilbara.
They were primarily used to make methylamphetamine but one was suspected of being
used to make home-bake heroin.
Detection rates for clandestine labs were rising as the public and local authorities
became more educated about what to look out for, Det Insp Morton said.
Police were grateful to vigilant members of the public who had provided information
to police to help uncover the latest lot of labs, he said.
Police say signs of a clandestine lab include strange chemical smells, suspicious
late night activity, large numbers of chemical containers in rubbish bins, LPG
bottles with improvised valves or tubing and excessive amounts of lithium batteries.



Delete & Prev | Delete & Next