Police attending a fire at a gang house in Wanganui stopped a car speeding from the scene and found a mobile drugs laboratory in the boot.
Senior Sergeant Colin Irvine, of Wanganui, said emergency services were alerted about 4.30am Saturday to a fire at the headquarters of a "local ethnic gang"
in Castlecliff.
An officer in a patrol car saw two cars driving from the area and recognised the occupants of one as members of a rival gang.
Police signalled for the cars to stop, which the second did. The leading car drove away.
A chemical smell from the boot of the car led to the discovery of chemicals in unlabelled containers.
Other items and documents in the boot led police to believe they had found a clandestine lab.
The area was cordoned off while dangerous goods inspectors, the Fire Service and a specialist police team disposed of the highly toxic and explosive chemicals.
Six police staff and several vehicles had to be decontaminated, as did the three men in the vehicle.
Three men were arrested and are to appear in Wanganui District Court today. Investigations into the house fire continue.
* The Green Party wants a parliamentary inquiry into ways of reducing methamphetamine abuse after a new survey showed its use was increasing and becoming more dangerous.
The Massey University research, issued yesterday, showed that users were turning to more potent forms of the drug and resorting to crime to fund their habits.
Some users were also starting to inject it, which was a "significant escalation" in risk to users and others, research leader Chris Wilkins said.
But Green Party co-leader Rod Donald said "screaming headlines" that hardened addicts were finding more dangerous ways of using P obscured the fact many average New Zealanders had turned to it.
"We must take a serious look at why so many people have been exposed to this drug and work out the most effective way to stop the spread of the P epidemic," Mr Donald said.
Act MP Muriel Newman said the "spiralling" epidemic was the Government's fault and accused it of failing to protect New Zealanders.
National MP Tony Ryall said the Government's plan to set up specialist teams was hopeless.
- NZPA
Herald Feature: The P epidemic
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