A man has been jailed after police seized a quantity of drugs and chemicals in a raid at a south Essex storage unit being used as an illicit drugs lab.
Slawomir Soban (pictured), 34, of Hendon was sentenced at Harrow Crown Court on Friday (October 21), after admitting the production of a class B drug at an earlier hearing.
Police executed a drugs warrant at an address in Little Warley, Brentwood as part of a proactive operation into suspected drug supply on April 12.
Officers searched the storage unit and discovered a large scale manufacturing site where a quantity of drugs and chemicals had been located.
This "illicit lab" was found to have potential yields of hundreds of kilograms of Class B drugs.
The warrant came as a result of an operation conducted by Specialist Crime Officers and involved a number of covert deployments which were carried out at the address between March 20 and April 6.
Officers established that the address was being used as a base for the manufacture of drugs.
They also identified that a silver Renault Traffic van was being used to transport items from the location to various other addresses.
The vehicle was consequently stopped in Lodge Road, Hendon, on April 12.
Soban, one of the occupants of the van, was found in possession of a backpack which contained three large containers of Methanol, a quantity of Class B drugs and two mobile phones.
Two other occupants of the vehicle were arrested at the scene on suspicion of drug offences.
As a result of further enquiries, officers carried out a warrant at an address in Lodge Road, Hendon where substances including acid, methanol and caffeine powder were located.
Items such as scales, bowls, and a hydraulic press were also recovered. 1.93 kilograms of amphetamine was found in the fridge.
A consequent search of Soban’s home address in Hendon, led officers to discover approximately £4,000 in cash, mobile phones and large bottles of Methanol.
Detective Chief Inspector Glenn Butler said: “I am pleased that Soban is being held accountable for his actions, and that these substances have been removed from the streets of London.
“The distribution of drugs fuels violence and the associated criminality that accompanies it causes misery to local communities.
“If dealers try to set up a network in any part of our city, we will work relentlessly to disrupt this, find those responsible and bring them to the courts. The work undertaken as part of this operation, should reinforce this message and serve as a warning to those who continue to involve themselves in this activity.”
Two men charged with drugs offences were found not guilty at the same trial.
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