Saskatoon Police Bust Student for Having Meth Lab Admit They are Wrong and Charge Him With Bomb Making Instead
Sunday, 28th December, 2008
Clandestine lab discovered Thursday not meth lab:
SASKATOON — Police have withdrawn a charge of methamphetamine production against 18-year-old Lewis Casey after mistakenly identifying a lab found in his home as a crystal meth lab.
Casey, who lives in the 100 block of Ninth Avenue East with his parents, is still charged with possessing components of explosive devices in conjunction with materials discovered in the lab.
Police arrived at Casey’s house on Thursday with a search warrant and discovered what they initially believed to be a methamphetamine lab in the garage.
They’ve since released a statement saying the lab was being used only to produce explosives.
It was an honest mistake, says Insp. Jerome Engele of the Saskatoon Police Service. Many of the chemicals found in the lab are similar or identical to those needed to produce methamphetamine and clandestine labs are typically drug-related.
“We don’t have many people who produce explosives,” he said.
This isn’t the first time city police have been mistaken about a supposed meth lab.
In 2005, the Salvation Army Community Centre was evacuated after police claimed to have found methamphetamine-related chemicals and paraphernalia.
It turned out the suspicious chemicals and equipment were used simply for developing photographs.
Here’s a quote from Casey’s lawyer:
“My client is a very intelligent young man . . . he’s very keen in chemistry, a very curious young person and very capable, very knowledgeable in the area and he was always curious with regard to chemistry, chemical compounds, chemical reactions, that kind of thing,” Stooshinoff said.
“So from my client’s point of view, it’s completely innocent insofar as he had no intention of creating any explosives or explosive devices. As people probably know, anything in your house can constitute or be used in chemical or explosive devices, including sugar and cleaning compounds, Mr. Clean, bleach, detergents, all those sorts of things.”
Casey’s bail conditions include a nightly curfew of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., submitting to searches by police or Environment officers and abstaining from any chemical experiments, except at school under qualified supervision. He is also required to inform the university’s chemistry department of the charge he faces.
Evidence and arguments presented at bail hearings are banned from publication. Casey is due back in court Jan. 26, when he is expected to enter a plea.
Those, brilliant, incredibly well trained protectors of freedom, the Saskatoon Police Department, have apparently shown no evidence of actual bomb making, just some of the ingredients for improvised explosives.
But they have accused Casey anyway because they must “protect the community” or save face…. Whichever comes first.



