The crooks who set up illegal chemical labs to create hundreds of kilos of drugs placed neighbours at risk of toxic fumes, fires and explosions.
The gang, which produced vast quantities of amphetamines, mixed substances in elaborate workshops hidden away in northern villages.
When the facilities were raided search teams needed specialist protective equipment as they examined and dismantled the operations.
Footage released by police highlighted the measures adopted by officers and firefighters called in to inspect a lab discovered in the Lancashire village of Earby.
The chemicals were so volatile police had to break in to the site rather than break through the doors due to concerns over what may have greeted them.
The video and images showing how chemical containers, hoses, pipes and bottles were set up inside one of the sites, was released as members of the gang were jailed for drugs offences.
Operating across the north of England, members used sites in Ashton-under-Lyne in Greater Manchester and Earby to produce amphetamines - also known as speed.
One of the key figures was Andrew Hayes, a Liverpool man repeatedly pictured by undercover police monitoring his movements.
The 48-year-old, of Fincham Road in Dovecot, was found guilty of conspiracy to produce Class B (amphetamine) following a trial.
Following the sentencing hearing, Detective Inspector Jason Pye said: "This type of operation can be extremely lucrative to organised crime groups, and it is pleasing to see their labs and criminal careers dismantled.
"Amphetamine is a drug which can have catastrophic consequences for users, not to mention the damaging environmental effects and massive risks that these volatile chemicals have on the environment and neighbouring properties."
