Meth Labs and how they effect our community

(Subject: Meth Labs)

A short history on meth production

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Meth Production today

Drug dealers commonly produce methamphetamine in our area. It is cheap to make and cheaper for users to buy than cocaine. Drug dealers called "cooks" make meth in clandestine laboratories commonly called Meth labs. Ingredients used in these meth labs to produce meth are available in our local stores for legitimate uses. However, once used to manufacture this drug they leave behind dangerous by-products that are toxic and dangerous to you and the environment.

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Where are meth labs found?

Meth labs can be found nearly anywhere. They are commonly located in houses, motels, apartment buildings, barns, sheds, travel trailers, automobiles, in open fields, wooded areas, along rivers, and nearly anyplace that is secluded. Rural areas are the favorite location for meth labs because they produce strong chemical smells that are produced while making meth, thus placing the labs in rural areas make them less likely to be detected while "cooking". Also in most rural areas there are fewer law enforcement officers to worry about and equipment and training of those officers to combat drugs properly are often an issue therefore many "cooks" tend to migrate to the rural areas to manufacture their drugs.

Is meth being cooked in your neighborhood?

Unless you know what you are looking for it can be very difficult to determine if someone is cooking meth in your neighborhood. Here are some things you can look for that you can report to law enforcement to investigate. BUT FOR YOUR SAFETY, never attempt to investigate what you believe could be a meth lab on your own. Meth labs are highly flammable and can explode and they produce a strong chemical smell. The fumes can cause respiratory distress and many other health problems, even death.

• Strong chemical odors such as cat urine/ammonia, acetone, ether etc...
• Houses with the windows covered or blacked out with aluminum foil, paint, cardboard etc...
• Frequent traffic at odd hours of the day. (such as late nights) the amount of people coming and going increases dramatically.
• People going outside to smoke cigarettes only at certain times. (meth labs are highly flammable so they don’t smoke where they are "cooking".)
• unusual clear glass containers being taken into the house.
• Large amount of trash items laying about such as drain cleaners, camp fuel cans, duct tape, coffee filters with red or yellow stains, empty cold and sinus pill boxes.
• Tenants who only pay their rent in cash.

The following items are things that might indicate the presence of a meth lab

Alcohol
Ether
Benzene