Three men were arrested after Kern County sheriff’s investigators dismantled a large-scale methamphetamine conversion lab in Lancaster, seizing nearly 250 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 1,500 pounds of the drug in liquid solution, authorities said.

The Kern County Sheriff’s Office said the operation Wednesday concluded an investigation into a Kern County-based drug trafficking organization operating in the Central Valley and Southern California.

Investigators executed a search warrant at a property in a desert area south of Highway 138 and 180th Street West in Lancaster.

As detectives approached the property, the sheriff’s air support unit spotted three suspects fleeing a building believed to contain the methamphetamine conversion lab.

Air support personnel directed deputies on the ground to the suspects, who were arrested, authorities said.

Deputies recovered a loaded firearm that one of the suspects allegedly discarded while fleeing. Investigators determined the gun had been reported stolen in McFarland.

Authorities also seized approximately 248 pounds of methamphetamine, 1,575 pounds of methamphetamine in liquid solution, and several thousand dollars in cash.

3 Mexican Nationals Arrested

The suspects were identified as, Adrian Sanchez-Manriquez, 41, of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico; Paulo Misael Navarrete-Sillas, 27, of Chihuahua, Mexico; and Omar Vega-Madueno, 36, of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico.

According to the sheriff’s office, investigators identified the men as suspects in a conspiracy involving methamphetamine manufacturing, possession for sale, and trafficking.

Authorities also linked the investigation to suspected firearms violations, possession of stolen property, maintaining a residence for drug sales, and resisting arrest.

Personnel from the Kern County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force worked alongside an LAFD hazardous materials response unit to process and dismantle the suspected drug lab.

Officials said the operation presented significant hazards because of large quantities of hazardous and unidentified chemicals found inside the property’s living and laboratory areas.

All three suspects were booked into the Kern County Sheriff’s Office Lerdo Justice Facility.

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