The discovery of a clandestine drug lab in Hume last Tuesday has been described by police as the largest seizure of MDMA or ecstasy in ACT history.
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An ACT Policing spokesman said the chemicals found in the Sheppard Street warehouse could have produced 400kg of MDMA, or more than four million ecstasy pills, with an estimated street value of between $8.4 million and $15.1 million.
The spokesman said detectives from Taskforce Nemesis, which was established earlier this year to investigate organised crime, discovered almost 5 tonnes of highly volatile substances from the hidden lab.
Chief Police Officer Rudi Lammers described the seizure, which originated from a tip-off from ACT Worksafe, as "a huge win for public safety".
"Clandestine laboratories such as this one also pose a massive risk to the community through their use of highly volatile and corrosive chemicals, with the mixing and non-regulatory storage practices capable of producing a massive explosion,” he said.
"They negatively impact on all levels of the society, including socially, economically and environmentally."
Stanley Hou, 35, of Lyneham has been charged with manufacturing a large quantity of controlled precursors for the manufacture and sale of drugs in relation to the raid. He has not entered a plea. He was released on bail, which police did not oppose.
