Suspected drug lab uncovered at Maroota

A hazardous materials (HAZMAT) crew from St Marys is on site at the property on Old Northern Road assisting officers from the State Crime Command's Gangs Squad.

A spokeswoman from the State Crime Command told Fairfax Media, ‘‘the search warrant is part of ongoing investigations by the Gang Squad, under Strike Force Warrenwood’’.

Forensics police and detectives are also there.

A number of gazebos with the wording ‘forensics’ have been erected on the property, under which police are working.

As of September 2014, police had in 12 months discovered 100 large clandestine drug labs in NSW — 11 of them in western Sydney.

READ MORE: Click here to read more about western Sydney’s clandestine drug labs, to see who is making these drugs, and the problems our police and researchers face to find them. 

They had also shut down more than 60 such labs over the same period, Drug Squad commander Detective Superintendent Tony Cooke told Fairfax Media in September.

‘‘There has been a steady increase in the number of clandestine laboratories detected by police in recent years,’’ he said at the time.

Drug Squad commander, Detective Superintendent Tony Cooke said there are seven tell-tale signs a property is being used as a drug house:

1. Strange odours;

2. Diverted electricity;

3. Chemical containers and waste;

4. Blacked out windows;

5. Hoses and pipes in strange places;

6. Blinds down, with extremely bright indoor lighting radiating through gaps;

7. Vehicles arriving at odd hours.