Westford Drug Lab Bust: Six Facing Drug Charges

WESTFORD, MA — Six people are facing drug charges after being arrested Wednesday morning when Westford police discovered an operational drug lab in a home on Mountain View Lane.

Bradley Heath, 63, Diana Heath, 61, Bradley Heath, 22, Linley Heath, 28, Lyndsey Holston, 20, and Prachi Joglekar, 22, were arraigned Wednesday in Ayer District Court, the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office said in a press release. They have all been charged with manufacturing of a class c substance among other drug charges for manufacturing hash oil, also known as honey oil.

"These defendants allegedly manufactured a substance composed of nearly pure THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is one of the active ingredients in marijuana through dangerous means,” said District Attorney Ryan in the press release. “Their alleged lab operations compromised the safety and security of their neighbors, as well as the law enforcement officials who arrested the suspects today.”

It turns out that the drug operation was the family business, officials from the DA's office said. 

Bradley Heath and Diana Heath are married and the younger Bradley Heath and Linley Heath are their two children, officials said. Holston was the younger Bradley Heath's girlfriend and Joglekar was a friend of the Heath daughter.

Police discovered the drug lab in the basement of the Heath family home while executing a search warrant Wednesday morning, Westford police told Patch. The Westford Police Department was assisted by the Drug Enforcement Agency Clandestine Lab unit.

When officers entered the home they were able to detect the presence of a drug lab by its smell, police said. Officers located the lab in the basement of the home after searching the house with the DEA unit. Police discovered that the five were allegedly using butane to heat honey oil, also known as hash oil, a highly concentrated form of THC. THC is the active ingredient found in marijuana.

Because of the dangerous nature of the drug lab, Hazmat crews and the Massachusetts State Police Bomb squad remained on the scene while officers collected evidence. The location has since been cleared.

Wednesday's search warrant was the result of a lengthy investigation of the house which revealed that there was likely a drug lab operating inside, police told Patch.

[Photo: Google maps street view]