Ice lab leached deadly toxins into Sydney’s water catchment area
EXCLUSIVE Ashlee Mullany
The Daily Telegraph
August 28, 2015 12:00AM
CHEMICALS from the biggest illegal drug lab ever found in NSW leached into the catchment area that feeds into Sydney’s water supply at Warragamba Dam west of the city.
Father and son Peter and Jim Martin yesterday pleaded guilty in Parramatta District Court to manufacturing 44kg of methamphetamine at a sophisticated drug laboratory in remote bushland in the Blue Mountains.
Court documents reveal waste and “methamphetamine byproducts” from the lab polluted the Yerranderie Catchment area, a pristine water supply that flows into Warragamba Dam.
Police were monitoring the drug operation in late 2012 under strike force Hibertia and a group of dogged detectives spent weeks trekking through snake-infested bushland to carry out covert surveillance.
They were due to raid the area in early 2013 but Jim Martin set fire to the lab on January 9 before police arrived, sparking a bushfire that wiped out 50ha of national state forest and put lives and properties at risk.
Methamphetamine byproducts leaked in Warragamba Dam from a huge ice lab.
Despite being unemployed, it is understood both men were leading lavish lifestyles in the lead-up to their arrest at Hurstville Grove, four days after the blaze.
Jim Martin, 30, yesterday pleaded guilty to his role in manufacturing the commercial quantity of ice, worth millions of dollars, and setting fire to the lab.
Both men also pleaded guilty to possessing more than 10kg of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine — which are precursor used in the production of methamphetamine.
Court documents reveal waste and “methamphetamine byproducts” from the lab polluted the Yerranderie Catchment area, a pristine water supply that flows into Warragamba Dam / File photo
Jim and father Peter, 57, are also facing charges of leaving the chemical waste in the special protected area between 2010 and 2013.
Chemical experts carried out testing of the soil at the Yerranderie site after noticing dead trees in the area and allegedly found traces of caustic liquids and methamphetamine leaching into groundwater.
There has been no confirmation that the chemicals ever made it into the water supply.
The additional charges, under the Sydney Water Catchment Management Regulation Act, are expected to be dealt with at sentencing on April 4 next year.
Wearing tailored suits, the pair spoke only to plead guilty in front of Judge Martin Sides. They did not apply for bail, and it was formally refused.
Source:http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/ice-lab-leached-deadly-toxins-into-sydneys-water-catchment-area/story-fni0cx12-1227501937281