Dangerous, filthy lab uncovered in Sydney
Breaking Bad's Walter White may make drug labs look glamorous, but the large-scale filthy operation police have uncovered in Sydney's northwest is anything but.
TV shows such as Breaking Bad "romance this a little bit", Detective Superintendent Tony Cooke told reporters in Sydney on Friday.
"(But) people should be well aware the crooks out there aren't concerned about how they are making this," he said.
Drug labs, Det Supt Cooke said, are full of garbage manufactured in places that are dangerous.
His comments come as police uncover a drug lab in Box Hill - one of the biggest they've seen.
One kilogram of ice, three litres of methylamphetamine oil and more then 200 items used to make ice and MDMA were found on Wednesday.
Det Supt Cooke believes the lab had been operating for several months.
It was a major bust destined to spark references to TV show Breaking Bad even from the state's top drug cop.
"There are no Walter Whites out there," Det Supt Cooke said.
"The best thing about this is that Hank got his man."
Hank is the police officer in the hit US TV series, which revolves around Walter White, a chemist with a home-made drug lab.
Following on from the Box Hill drug lab, NSW Police also raided a beachfront pad in Bondi in Sydney's east, where they uncovered 70,000 MDMA pills, weighing in at 17kg, as well as MDMA powder and ice.
The 34-year-old resident has been charged with a string of offences, including commercial drug manufacture and supply.
Another man, a 24-year-old from Cranebrook, is charged with drug manufacture offences.
Det Supt Cooke said in total police seized about 30kg of drugs from the clan lab and Bondi apartment, worth about $15 million.
In the past year police have uncovered 44 drug labs, including three labs in the past three days.
"It's an ongoing problem for us, there is no denying that," Supt Cook said.
The two men charged were refused bail and will appear in court again in August.
