Calgary police say they have seized raw drug powder and lab equipment that was capable of making 263,000 fentanyl pills — a dangerous synthetic painkiller.
Police say they arrested two men after an apartment building was evacuated when an unknown powder was found in one of the units.
Investigators then searched an apartment and found signs of a fentanyl powder reprocessing lab.
Officers evacuated the area as a safety precaution and called in a team of RCMP experts to remove the drugs and lab equipment.
Fentanyl — a synthetic opioid — has been linked to hundreds of deaths in Canada.
Police say Sukhjeet Sidhu and Amanpreet Bali each face drug-related charges and are to appear in court on Monday.
"The apartment specific to this incident will remain uninhabitable until remediation can be completed," police said Tuesday in a release.
"Fentanyl powder in its raw form can prove deadly to anyone who comes in contact with it."
Police said they also seized 645 fentanyl pills and quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, crack and other drugs.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.