RCMP in western Saskatchewan are looking for a stolen tanker truck partially loaded with anhydrous ammonia.
Maidstone RCMP said in a provincial CrimeStoppers release Monday that “unknown persons” entered the Lashburn and District Co-op facility east of Lashburn, about 35 km southeast of Lloydminster, between the hours of 5 p.m. Friday and 1 a.m. Sunday.
The truck, a 1998 Peterbilt tandem-axle model, has Saskatchewan license plate 986 FJM.
RCMP said they’re “urgently requesting the public’s assistance in locating (the) vehicle, given the highly volatile nature” of anhydrous ammonia fertilizer.
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Anhydrous ammonia is pure ammonia gas compressed into liquid form under high pressure, which reverts to gas form and dissolves into soil moisture when injected into the ground as a nitrogen fertilizer.
Mild exposure to the gas can cause frostbite, while exposure in high concentrations (2,000-3,000 ppm) can cause severe burns, in a very short time, according to the Saskatchewan labour department. Victims’ eyes are especially vulnerable.
While not noted in the RCMP’s statement, anhydrous is also a key ingredient in one of several common processes for making crystal methamphetamine (“meth”).
Participants in the illegal drug trade have been known to look for unsecured supplies of the fertilizer, whether at unprotected storage facilities or from unsecured nurse tanks kept on-farm.
Anyone with information on the Lashburn theft or on the location of the truck and tanks is asked to call CrimeStoppers in Saskatchewan toll-free at 800-222-8477 or Maidstone RCMP at 306-893-4800.
