One of two men charged in connection with massive fentanyl lab operation asks court for bail release
Day two of Carlos Martinez’s hearing Friday, co-accused Justin Fauth’s bail denied in November
February 27, 2026
One of two men charged after a lengthy RCMP investigation culminating in the dismantling of a massive illegal drug lab on a farm property in Chilliwack was in court for a bail hearing Thursday (Feb. 26, 2026) that spilled over to Friday.
Carlos Martinez sat in the prisoner box in courtroom 204 wearing standard issue orange sweats listening intently. He has a thick black beard, black hair held back in a knot. There were half a dozen people in the courtroom who appeared to be supporters as Crown counsel went into some detail about the evidence in the case against Martinez and co-accused Justin Fauth.
Those details of what the judge heard, however, including what was allegedly discovered, seized, and subject of videos seen in court from surveillance drone footage and inside the lab cannot be yet reported due to standard publication bans on bail hearings. The arguments, or reasons for a bail decision cannot be reported, either.
Martinez and co-accused Justin Fauth each face one count of production of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking.
The two were arrested allegedly holding a significant amount of fentanyl produced at a functioning illegal drug lab at 44843 South Sumas Rd. on Oct. 2, 2025, according to RCMP news release issued on Oct. 6.
Police said a large amount of fentanyl pills were seized along with “significant” quantities of precursor chemicals and equipment from the South Sumas property as well as two residences and two storage lockers in Chilliwack.
Fauth was in provincial court in Chilliwack on Nov. 10, 2025, for an all-day bail hearing that was attended by more than a dozen supporters and family members. He was denied bail on Nov. 20, 2025.
There was word after his bail hearing that Fauth may be looking to have a Section 525 hearing, which in this case serves sort of like an appeal to his bail denial in November. Section 525 is a review of detention while an accused is awaiting trial and is available after 90 days in custody. That 90-day clock started after his bail was denied on Nov. 20, and that hearing would be held in BC Supreme Court rather than provincial court.
Martinez has also been in custody since his arrest Oct. 2, 2025, but his bail hearing was postponed several times until Feb. 26.
After large police operation at the rural property, RCMP reported that the raid and cleanup after involved significant police, emergency responders, and other government agency resources, including Health Canada chemists. RCMP officers from the Chilliwack RCMP Crime Reduction Unit, the Lower Mainland Integrated Emergency Response Team (IERT), the RCMP Clandestine Lab Enforcement and Response Team (CLEAR), the Chilliwack Serious Crime Unit, and the General Investigation Section were involved in executing search warrants on this property and others.
The investigation began, the RCMP reported, in early 2025 following intelligence gathered in late 2024 that led police to Fauth and Martinez as “key suspects” in the distribution of fentanyl in the Chilliwack area.
Martinez’s bail hearing started Thursday continue Friday. A decision is unlikely that day.
Fauth is scheduled next in provincial court on March 10 to fix a date, but since BC Supreme Court files are not searchable, it’s not clear if he will have that Section 525 review before then, after, or at all.
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Paul J. Henderson
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