Federal RCMP investigators have dismantled what they describe as Canada’s largest and most sophisticated “superlab” – a drug hub suspected of having ties to Mexican cartels.

On Thursday, the gendarmerie deployed an arsenal of automatic weapons; piles of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl; and even chemical precursors that would be used in a drug production chain supplying Canadian and foreign markets.

Assistant Commissioner David Teboul, commander of the RCMP’s Federal Policing program in the Pacific region, said police believed the drugs were linked to Mexican cartels and were destined for international destinations.

“It was a supermarket for organized criminal entities,” Teboul said.

The loot, presented to reporters Thursday at British Columbia RCMP headquarters in Surrey, came from unidentified locations in Surrey and Falkland, B.C., a community about 45 kilometers northwest of Vernon.

Police said they confiscated 54 kilograms of fentanyl; 395 kilograms of methamphetamine; 35 kilograms of cocaine; 15 kilograms of MDMA; and six kilos of marijuana. They also found 10 tons of powdered precursor chemicals and 5,000 liters of precursor chemicals used to produce fentanyl.

For the first time in British Columbia, police discovered P2P methamphetamine, a highly potent form of the drug used by outlaw motorcycle gangs and the Mexican cartels.

In total, police estimate the value of the drugs is $485 million.

“This enforcement has neutralized a key production center,” Teboul said.

A total of 89 firearms were also found in the busts, including AR-15s and two 50-caliber submachine guns.

The deputy commissioner said “many of them were loaded and ready for use.”

Gaganpreet Randhawa, of Surrey, was charged with six weapons and drug-related charges.

When asked why someone was arrested, Teboul said the investigation was ongoing.