Fentanyl charges laid

Photo: Facebook - Les Mcculloch

A West Kelowna couple are facing charges for production of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking in connection with an RCMP fentanyl bust in March.

Leslie John McCulloch, 38, and Rebekka Rae White, 27, are facing charges, after police raided a West Kelowna warehouse on Auburn Road on March 2.

In addition to the possession and production charges, White is also facing two counts of possession of a controlled substance.

Kelowna RCMP Const. Jesse O'Donaghey confirmed the couple is charged in connection to the raid. 

Dozens of police, along with paramedics and fire crews, raided the warehouse back in March, decked out in hazmat gear.

Officer Dan Minkley said they had executed a warrant on the property in conjunction with a second warrant at a rural property in West Kelowna.

“This is the conclusion of a drug production investigation,” officer Dan Minkley said from the scene. “We have executed a search warrant at this location where we found drug production equipment – a clandestine lab.”

Minkley said the building was being used to make counterfeit prescription pills that contained fentanyl, an extremely strong opiate that has played a part in over 170 deaths in B.C. in 2016.

Minkley said they had been investigating the two properties for several months.

McCulloch will be back in court on June 13, while White’s next appearance is on June 30.

Both are no longer in custody.