East Bay drug lab raid ends in arrest, detonation of explosive substance

BRENTWOOD – East Bay authorities on Tuesday raided a suspected drug lab in Brentwood, arresting a 29-year-old man and detonating three containers filled with an explosive substance.

Two other suspects – a 44-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman, both of Brentwood – are being sought, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Thursday.

Detectives discovered a dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, manufacturing lab around 9:50 a.m. Tuesday when they served a search warrant at a residence in the 800 block of Shasta Daisy Drive, near Liberty High School, according to the sheriff’s office.

While processing the lab, a team from the county’s hazardous materials program found a possible explosive compound stored in three containers, the sheriff’s office said.

The Walnut Creek Police Department bomb squad identified the substance as triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, a volatile and powerful explosive, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office said the containers were detonated without incident – one of them at the scene and two of them at another location. Nearby residents were evacuated during the operation.

The 29-year-old man was arrested and booked into the Martinez Detention Facility for an outstanding arrest warrant for parolee at large, according to the sheriff’s office.

The other two suspects are wanted for burglary, narcotics violations, possession of an explosive device and child endangerment, the sheriff’s office said.

Anyone with information related to the drug lab or the location of the outstanding suspects can contact the Investigations Division at 925-313-2600. Tips can also be left with the sheriff’s office via email at tips@so.cccounty.us or voice message at 866-846-3592.