By SCOTT JACKSON
Quincy police and federal authorities worked together to dismantle a large-scale illegal pill manufacturing operation in Wollaston.
The Quincy Police Department’s Drug Control Unit was investigating a possible drug trafficking operation based out of a rental garage facility located in the residential area of Wollaston on Jan. 6, according to Sgt. Karyn Barkas.
She said detectives discovered a large-scale, illegal pill manufacturing operation based in a single-stall rental garage on the property. Detectives also discovered a large quantity of fentanyl, powder base precursors, and commercial-grade pharmaceutical pill presses and machinery used in manufacturing. All of these illegal items were self-contained in a portable trailer.
Detectives secured the site and determined there was no danger to the public, Barkas stated Detectives then contacted the Quincy police detective task force officer assigned to the Boston office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. This activated the DEA Clandestine Lab Response Team. The decision was made to tow the trailer and secure it at police headquarters. Barkas said.
The purpose of the response team is to professionally and safely dismantle the equipment, along with the neutralization and disposal of all chemicals associated with the operation, she stated.
The partnership between Quincy police and DEA, along with the collaboration of the task force officer initiative, demonstrates the importance of local and federal agencies working together to ensure the safety of our communities and the proper disposal of illegal materials, Barkas said.
Quincy police continue to investigate the matter along with federal officials, she said.