Two accused in massive fentanyl-production lab in Chilliwack face lengthy criminal trial as far off as 2028

Justin Fauth and Carlos Martinez likely face weeks of voir dires in 2027 in advance of possible 45-day-long criminal trial

November 9, 2026

Lawyers for two men charged with operating what might have been the largest clandestine fentanyl lab ever busted in B.C. were in BC Supreme Court in Chilliwack Monday (Nov. 9, 2026) for a case-management conference discussing what promises to be a lengthy trial.

Justin Tyler Fauth and Carlos Balbino Martinez each face five charges of production of a controlled substance. Fauth also faces eight counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, Martinez five.

All parties appeared in courtroom 203 in Chilliwack via video, including criminal defence lawyers David Ferguson and Rob Dhanu, Crown counsel and Justice Baljinder Girn.

At issue was several practical matters, including whether to book off 40 or 45 days for the trial, which Justice Girn suggested would start in late 2027 or early 2028. Before any trial, there will be several lengthy hearings and voir dires to discuss admissibility of evidence not to mention possible Charter issues, which are common in serious illegal drug trials.

The two men are charged in connection with a massive clandestine lab discovered and raided on a farm property on South Sumas Road on October 2, 2025, where officers with the RCMP’s CLEAR (Clandestine Lab Enforcement and Response) team uncovered 40 kilograms of fentanyl, 43 kilograms a drug called mephedrone, three kilograms of methamphetamine, four kilograms of MDMA, and more than 5,000 kilograms of of chemicals and precursors used in the production of controlled substances. 

Despite the epic size of the lab and its large potential production output, neither Fauth nor Martinez have a criminal history in B.C.

The 37-year-old Fauth is a former body builder, fitness consultant and owner of a supplement store in Abbotsford, and 39-year-old Carlos Balbino Martinez does not appear to have a criminal record in B.C. The connection between them is unclear.

At a media show-and-tell at the Chilliwack RCMP detachment in April, officer-in-charge Supt. Darren Pankratz would or could not confirm if there was any connection to organized crime, domestic or international.

“At this point, the investigation is still ongoing and still before the courts,” Pankratz said. “But at this point, we also don't have information to support a direct link to organized crime.”

What’s clear is that given the size of the lab, it’s impossible the only two involved were Fauth and Martinez.

Both men were denied bail many months ago, but Martinez is awaiting a decision on a hail-Mary kind of release order under section 525 of the criminal code. Justice Girn said she would render her decision on that in Chilliwack court on Nov. 19.

Publication bans are in place in this case preventing the sharing of any evidence or details about the cases that come out in court.

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Paul J. Henderson
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