BBC News are carrying an interesting story about drug gangs operating in Vancouver.
Vancouver is a hotspot for organised drug gangs due to the strategic location of the port city and the relatively lax importation restrictions for precursor chemicals. Precursors for a range of drugs including ecstacy, amphetamine and methamphetamine can be obtained and shipped to Canada at pretty low risk. In Vancouver, many clandestine labs ('clan labs') are operating, turning these precursors into ecstasy tablets or crystal meth in short order.
Only the labs which are targeted by intelligence-led operations (around 35-40 per year), or bring themselves to the attention of the authorities (for example by catching fire) are shut down. We can safely assume there are plenty more that go undetected. The BBC article indicates that, whilst the USA is the primary market for the synthetic drugs produced in these labs, BC-produced drugs are now finding routes into the global marketplace.
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