Recent Home-Based Meth Lab Blurbs

Goffstown, New Hampshire: Two neighbors in a downtown apartment building were busted after a raid uncovered a small meth lab in their apartment. Reportedly, the investigation started early last month when local cops were tipped off by a hardware store about the purchase of toluene, iodine and other materials used to manufacture methamphetamine. See Goffstown pair charged in meth lab raid.

Marshfield, Wisconsin: A meth lab was discovered Wednesday morning during a search warrant on the lower level of a rental duplex by local cops and other agencies, including the Wisconsin State Patrol and Department of Justice. A hazardous materials cleanup of the property was ordered and was conducted by a specialized DEA cleanup team. The property is secured and will be guarded until cleanup is completed. See Meth lab busted in Marshfield.

Austin, Texas: A baby is in the hospital and the parents behind bars after police say they discovered a meth lab in South Austin. Cops, who were serving a warrant, said they were overcome with the smell of chemicals used to make meth when they opened the door. Neighboring homes were not evacuated, but police said it took hazardous materials crews hours to clean up the scene. See Baby Taken To Hospital As Police Investigate Meth Lab.

Atwater, Minnesota: A local man was arraigned on three felony charges for meth manufacture and drug possession after cops found an operating meth lab in an Atwater home. The home was marked as a meth lab by agents and then turned over to a hazardous materials crew for cleanup of the contaminated and hazardous materials. There were 15 chemistry books in the basement bedroom, the complaint states, with pages marked to topics used in the process of cooking meth. See Man charged after meth lab discovered in Atwater home.

Wilmer, Alabama: Cops arrested a local couple accused of running a meth lab in a shed behind their home. In addition to the meth charges, the couple will also face a felony charge of chemical endangerment of a child because a minor was in the home at the time of their arrest. See Husband & Wife Running a Meth Lab.

Williamsburg, Virginia: Local cops arrest three and are searching for two others wanted in connection with the discovery of what officers believe is a home-based meth lab in one unit in an apartment complex. According to a search warrant, the cops began tracking the suspects last month after discovering they had made multiple Sudafed purchases at local drugstores. See Suspected meth lab is busted by police.

South Hills, West Virginia: One man is in jail after a lit cigarette caused his residence, one of four connected townhouses in South Hills, to catch fire and expose a secret methamphetamine lab, investigators said. The firewalls contained the damage to the one unit. See Townhouse burns in meth lab explosion.

Lincoln County, North Carolina: Police arrested two men after they found the makings of a meth lab in their motel room. Police worked off a tip from an informant. More than 30 people staying at the hotel were evacuated for several hours. See Police: Meth Lab Busted.

Perry County, Indiana: A man was found dead inside a burning car in which items used to manufacture meth were found. The evidence leads cops to believe that the car was used as a mobile meth lab, which they say is becoming more and more common. "It is very possible that a meth lab could be in a vehicle next to you while you are traveling down the highway," said Todd Ringle of the Indiana State Police. See Man burns in meth lab fire.

Louisville, Kentucky: Cops bag a portable meth lab inside a car after making a routine traffic stop on a local freeway. One of the officers noticed some paraphernalia and meth inside the car before noticing the meth lab inside. A nearby ramp leading to the freeway was shut down for several hours due to the danger of the chemicals found. See 'Rolling meth lab' shuts down Gene Snyder ramp.

Bloomfield, Ohio: Cops nail two with meth, child endangerment charges in home-based lab bust. The suspects were tracked down through a steady pattern of Sudafed bought at local drug stores. Due to its use in the production of methamphetemine, many pharmacies require consumers to sign a form when buying Sudafed. Two children found in the house and believed to be contaminated by the drugs, which can be absorbed through the skin, were decontaminated before being turned over to relatives. See Meth lab tracked by cold medicine sales.

Brevard County, Florida: In response to a domestic violence call, Brevard County cops find a 7-month-old-baby boy in an active meth lab. Authorities say the baby's mother ran a meth lab out of a home she shared with her husband and a roommate. Deputies found equipment and chemicals used to make meth, in addition to over 100 grams of the drug. The baby was rushed to a local hospital, and the three adults are in police custody. See Baby in Meth Lab.

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For a related post on meth labs and the problems they cause in homes that once housed them, see The Invisible Legacy Left In Homes Used As Meth Labs.

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta meth lab yak

More On Neighborhood Meth Labs

The following are stories, some recent - some not-so-recent - related to the operation of local neighborhood meth labs:

Hollywood, Florida: Hollywood homes evacuated as suspected meth lab found (Cops find home used as a meth lab, and which also contained several high-powered weapons, ammunition and grenades. Police evacuated between 40 and 50 homes in a two-block area).

Dundee, Minnesota: Cleaning up the meth mess (Describes what a remediation company is up against when a home is assessed and declared to be contaminated by meth),

Upton, Kentucky: Task force takes down another meth lab (Greater Hardin County Drug Task Force agents assisting Kentucky State Police reported a third meth lab within a week being found inside Hardin County. Local drug task force agents report finding more than a dozen labs within the past month),

Powell River, Canada: Police launch meth lab raid (Cops raid and dismantle a small methamphetamine lab in a rental house, resulting in the evacuation of some of the building's tenants),

Berkeley County, South Carolina: Berkeley County Deputies Bust Meth Lab (Several nearby business, including a day care, under voluntary evacuation as a precaution),

Phelan, Alabama: 4 Phelen residents arrested in meth bust (Hazmat unit decontaminated the area and the four suspects before locking them up & holding them on a $1 million property bond),

Charleston, West Virginia: Man indicted for running meth lab (Police say suspect was using lithium in a rare manufacturing process called "the Nazi method," a highly dangerous technique that poses significant explosion risk. Authorities evacuated neighbors around the home for more than 12 hours while a crew dismantled the lab and cleaned up the dangerous materials. A bomb squad was called in as a precaution.).

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For the kinds of health and safety concerns arising from using homes to manufacture methamphetamine, not to mention the kind of damage such operations can inflict on a home, see:

• Beware Of Homes Used As Indoor Pot Farms & Meth Labs,
• Homes Toxic Home (Buyers Beware: Owners of homes once used as methamphetamine labs are having health problems -- and sometimes going broke trying to clean up their toxic houses) (no longer available online).

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta meth lab yak

Orlando Cops Bust Local Woman Running Meth Lab Out Of Her Home

In Orlando, Florida, WFTV Channel 9 reports:

• Orlando police shut down a meth lab Friday. Cops described the operation as big and dangerous. The extensive operation was found in a residential neighborhood [in downtown Orlando]. Police said neighbors are lucky no one was hurt from the lab for two reasons. Firstly, it's a duplex and the fumes could have come through the ducts and affected the people who live next door. Second, police said, the lab easily could have exploded, putting the whole block at risk. [...] The next step is to call Code Enforcement. Investigators said the house is contaminated, but the state can't legally take control of it.

For more, see Meth Lab Bust Near Downtown Orlando Is City's Largest.

For WFTV Channel 9 video report, see Woman Arrested After Police Find Orlando Meth Lab.

For a post related to meth labs, generally, see Beware Of Homes Used As Indoor Pot Farms & Meth Labs.

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta

Alleged "Dope Hotel" Evacuated Upon Meth Lab Discovery On Premises

In Orlando, Florida, WFTV Channel 9 reported in October:

• Orlando police broke up a potentially explosive meth lab at a local hotel. [...] Investigators said a maid and a security team at the Vacation Lodge led officers to the operation ... . "This hotel is the biggest dope hotel in the city of Orlando. It caters only to druggies, drug addicts and prostitutes," said Greg May, an Orlando resident.

For the story, see Maid Leads Police To Meth Lab At Orlando Hotel; or go here to watch the WFTV video report.

See also, Meth Lab Found In Orlando Hotel ("A meth lab was located at an Orlando hotel, [...] forcing officials to evacuate the facility") (WKMG-TV Channel 6, Orlando).

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta

Three Cops Diagnosed With Chemically-Induced Pneumonia, Heart Murmurs In Home-Based Meth Lab Bust Gone Bad

In Butler, Missouri, KCTV Channel 5 recently reported on a meth lab bust that went bad one night back in November. An excerpt from the story:

• Police said that in a desperate attempt to get rid of the chemicals from the meth lab, [the suspect] started throwing everything into the sump pump and turned on the water. "The chemicals mixed with the water and created a vapor," said [Butler Police Chief Jim] Garnett. "Sulfuric acid, anhydrous ammonia and Coleman fuel." [One officer] was stuck in the basement, breathing in the poisonous vapor. Upstairs, [another cop] had just broken through the front door and was breathing heavily when the fog overcame him. And at the back door was [a third cop], who said "your throat gets very irritated. Then the not being able to breathe and all that stuff -- that was the scariest part of it all."

All three were diagnosed with chemically-induced pneumonia and heart murmurs. One spent several days in the hospital and was out of work for two months. The other two were there for more than a week. Of the two, one returned to work two weeks ago; the other is out indefinitely. For a 10-man department, that one night sidelined almost a third of the Butler police department.

For more, see Special Report: Are Police Prepared To Deal With Meth?

Check the the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) National Clandestine Laboratory Register for (what the DEA admits is) an incomplete and infrequently updated list of possible locations of former neighborhood meth labs that have been reported to the DEA by local and Federal law enforcement authorities.

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta

County Ordinance Requires Clean-Up Or Tear Down Of Homes Formerly Housing Meth Labs

In Kanawha County, West Virginia, The State Journal reports:

• Five years after a meth lab bust, a Kanawha County mobile home [...] was boarded up Monday. It took so long because the bust happened three years prior to the passage of a county ordinance which requires property owners to clean up the meth or the property is torn down. Neither the county, tenant nor landlord knew of the home's criminal past until Monday. "We acted when we found out about it," said David Armstrong, the deputy emergency services director for the county's planning and community development office. "If I don't know about it, I can't fix it." The tenant [...] brought the lab's history to light after searching federal court records.

For more, see How To Find Out If You're Living In a Former Meth Home.

See also, WOWK-TV Channel 13: Family Lived in Former Meth House for 4 Years (The tenant and her daughter, who were living with 29 times the acceptable limits of meth residue, are now homeless).

For a related post on meth labs and the problems they cause in homes that once housed them, see The Invisible Legacy Left In Homes Used As Meth Labs.

Check the the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) National Clandestine Laboratory Register for (what the DEA admits to being) an incomplete list of possible locations of former neighborhood meth labs that have been reported to the DEA by local and Federal law enforcement authorities.

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta

Hotel & Motel Rooms Now Being Used As Meth Labs?

The television program Inside Edition ran a story last week on the growing use of hotel and motel rooms to manufacture methamphetamine. An excerpt from the story:

• It's a danger that could be putting you and your family at risk. All across the country, cops say drug dealers are using some hotels and motel rooms to manufacture or "cook" methamphetamine. According to Sergeant Jim Gerhardt, of the Thornton, Colorado police department, near Denver, “It's probably worse now than ever.” [...] However, after drug dealers move on, the toxic chemical residue that results from cooking meth could potentially stay for years. The chemicals are so dangerous police wear full hazmat suits when they raid a meth lab.

***

• So how big of a problem is it? INSIDE EDITION tested six Denver area hotels and motels where cops had busted meth labs, some more than two years ago, and the results were disturbing. In one test INSIDE EDITION detected meth on the headboard of one of the beds. Five out of the six rooms tested had traces of meth. Three of them, including two at popular national chains, had levels above what many experts consider safe.

For more, see Was Your Hotel Room A Former Meth Lab?

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta

"One-Pot Method" Blamed For Increase In Home-Based Meth Labs, Say SW Michigan Cops

In Kalamazoo, Michigan, The Grand Rapids Press reports:

• Police found components of a "one-pot" methamphetamine lab Monday in the basement of a home in the city's Vine neighborhood, authorities said. Police in southwestern Michigan have said meth-lab busts, which have been on the decline since 2005, are spiking again in the region thanks to the one-pot method, a quick new recipe that allows meth manufacturers to make the drug in as little as a half hour using pseudoephedrine, discount-store ingredients and a couple of pop bottles.

For more, see Kalamazoo meth lab busted.

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta

Old-School S&L Stuck With Toxic Meth Lab In Its Portfolio

The Denver Post reports:

• "Century Savings [and Loan] is a tiny financial institution, founded in 1903. It sits on [Trinidad, Colorado's] Main Street, a relic of a bygone era when S&Ls took deposits from and made loans to the people in their communities. It has only $86 million in assets and 16 employees. "We are the old-school savings and loan," said [Century's president, Mike] McMillan. "We may not light the world on fire, but we're here and we're steady and we're serving our community.""

This story is about a small frame house in Trinidad, Colorado which once secured a mortgage loan made by Century Savings. A grandmother once lived there with her children and grandchildren until one day when there was a small explosion in the home. As it turns out, Granny was operating a methamphetamine lab. She was eventually arrested and then her house sat vacant and rotting for years. Ultimately, Century Savings foreclosed and got stuck with the house which, as it turns out, was not only completely worthless, but it actually had a "negative value," as the article reports:

• "The S&L is small enough that any foreclosure stings. But granny's kitchen was so toxic it left the property with a negative value. It might cost $30,000 to $40,000 to demolish and dispose of the contaminated house, leaving a lot worth only $10,000. And forget about the loan."

The article goes on to describe: (a) how easy it is for a home to become toxic as a result of its use as a meth lab, and (b) the nightmares (either for landlords or foreclosing mortgage lenders) of having to deal with a property (which could be a single family home, an apartment on the ground floor of a large aparment building, etc.) which has been used by its occupants to manufacture methamphetamine.

The article reports that "[t]o this day, granny's place remains a hazardous-waste spill."

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

For more, see Meth house a lender's nightmare.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta

Ohio Woman Unwittingly Buys Home Once Used As Meth Lab; Sues Former Owner While Fighting Foreclosure; Fears Connection To Kids' Chronic Illnesses

In Stow, Ohio, the Akron Beacon Journal reports:

• Her Stow home is frozen in time. The kids' clothes, their beds, the family photos, everything they own remains untouched, just as they left it almost a year ago.
  The exodus from her new home was swift. And it was not fueled by ghosts or lousy neighbors. Rather, it was the revelation of what was once inside her Meadowbrook Boulevard home and its potential relation to her children's chronic illnesses.

• Andrea Wagner has learned she is the owner of a former meth house, one of at least 143 tabulated by local health officials. The 26-year-old single mother of two is now in court fending off foreclosure efforts while at the same time fighting the man who sold her the home. Her lawsuit claims the former owner never revealed its methamphetamine production history.

For more, see Single mom is suing seller of meth house (Home was once drug lab; woman fears for kids' health, might be facing foreclosure).

For a related post on meth labs and the problems they cause in homes that once housed them, see The Invisible Legacy Left In Homes Used As Meth Labs.

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs.

Check the the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) National Clandestine Laboratory Register for (what the DEA admits to being) an incomplete list of possible locations of former neighborhood meth labs that have been reported to authorities. meth lab zeta

Tennessee Gets $1.1M In Fed Funds To Fight Meth

In Tennessee, The Murfreesboro Post reports:

• U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon has helped to secure $1.1 million in federal funding to help state and local officials fight methamphetamine production and abuse. “Strong state and federal laws are making an impact on meth production, but we still have too many meth labs in Tennessee,” said Gordon. “Last year, Tennessee had more meth lab seizures than all but four states. Law enforcement needs better ways to detect clandestine meth labs and more resources to educate the community about the dangers of meth abuse.”

For more, see Gordon secures $1.1 M to combat meth In Tennessee.

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta

California Vacant Foreclosure Goes Up In Flames

The Modesto Bee reports:

• "A suspicious fire Friday afternoon destroyed a vacant two-story house east of Turlock that neighbors said was the site of a methamphetamine laboratory bust a year ago. [...] Bill Rossi, 60, lives nearby and owns the almond orchards that surround the destroyed house. He said the house had been vacant since authorities raided it and found a meth lab operation in an upstairs room. Rossi said the home continued to serve as a hangout for drug users and transients who would break in. [...] He said the home had gone through several owners before it was placed in foreclosure."

Witnesses reported seeing two men leaving the property on bicycles shortly after the fire started. Arson has not been ruled out. For more, see Fire destroys Turlock home, site of meth lab.

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta zebra

Minnesota Couple Duped Into Buying Home Once Used As Meth Lab; Arbitration Award A "Pyrrhic" Victory, Lender May Wind Up Holding The Bag

In Cannon Falls, Minnesota, The Republican Eagle reports on the story of a local couple who thought they were buying the home of their dreams, and their subsequent arbitration "victory" in litigation over the home:

• Justin and Krista Keller purchased the six acres with a four-bedroom house and outbuildings in January for approximately $250,000. Their first home was a dream come true until they discovered what the sellers had failed to disclose: The property had been used in the production of methamphetamines. [...] Cleanup is expected to cost $30,000 or more, the property has dropped in value, and the Kellers have incurred the costs of the testing, remodeling that took place before the discovery and having to move out of the house and rent a place to live. Added to that are the legal fees from taking the case to arbitration.

***

• The claims against the real estate agents were dismissed, but the sellers are liable for $100,864 — the damages incurred to that date, including attorney fees. Additionally, the sellers were named as responsible for any additional costs of remediation required by the state and the costs of storage and rental incurred by the Kellers while they had to live outside the house during remediation.

Reportedly, in attempting to have the seller satisfy the arbitration award, the Kellers’ attorney was unable to locate any accounts held by the sellers or find out where the proceeds from the home sale went. The Kellers are believed to be assessing which would be the least damaging way for them to dump the problem onto the mortgage holder — bankruptcy or foreclosure. They refuse to move back into the home.

For more, see Arbitration win was empty victory (may require free registration).

See also, Meth Turns Minnesota Dream Home Into Nightmare (read story) (watch video).

For a related post on meth labs and the problems they cause in homes that once housed them, see The Invisible Legacy Left In Homes Used As Meth Labs.

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta

Beware Of Homes Used As Indoor Pot Farms & Meth Labs

Some time ago, the San Francisco Chronicle ran two stories describing the potential problems that may arise from the use of homes / apartments by its occupants as marijuana grow houses and methamphetamine labs.

Whether it's mold, corroded pipes, ripped out interior walls, substandard / illegal alterations to the electrical system that create fire hazards, the production and dumping of toxic waste, toxic vapors that penetrate drywall, electrical conduits, wood and flooring, decontamination issues, financial responsibility for the clean-up, legal liability issues, and the "invisible legacy" that's left in the home for future occupants, the stories describe the health, safety, legal and financial concerns that may be of interest to landlords, property managers, current homeowners, and prospective homebuyers, not to mention the mortgage lenders whose loans are secured by affected homes, and the neighbors living near those homes and apartments used as indoor pot farms and meth labs.

In one account, a fire department discovered a meth lab in one unit of an apartment building when responding to a kitchen fire. Reportedly, the entire building had to be evacuated of its tenants and closed down for "clean up" -- which took about six months. For more, see:

• Hard to just say 'no' to marijuana-growing tenants,
• Homes once used as meth labs can leave an invisible legacy.

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta pot grow ops alpha

Ohio AG On Anti-Meth Initiative

Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann has announced this month initiatives he is pursuing with some local Ohio law enforcement agencies in stepping up the pressure to bust up meth lab operations throughout Ohio. For more, see:

• Ohio AG Press Release (12-17-07) - Attorney General Marc Dann, Clermont County Sheriff A.J. Rodenberg, and Highland County Sheriff Ron Ward Announce New, Aggressive Anti-Meth Effort,
• Ohio AG Press Release (12-14-07) - Attorney General Marc Dann and Ashtabula County Sheriff William Johnson Announce Aggressive Anti-Meth Project.

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta

More On The "One Pot" aka "Shake & Bake" Method Of Making Meth

In Etowah County, Alabama, the Gadsden Times reports:

• More methamphetamine labs have popped up in Etowah County in recent weeks, and drug agents believe the increase is linked to a new cooking method. The "one-pot" or the "shake-and-bake" method is quicker and easier and is producing a more pure form of meth, said Scott Entrekin, spokesman for the Etowah County Drug Enforcement Unit. [...] The method of cooking began appearing almost a year ago in some states and has spread to other areas, he said.The meth is cooked using one "pot," usually a 2-liter drink bottle. [...] "It's dangerous because it builds up pressure," Entrekin said. If the pressure isn't released periodically during the two to three hours it takes for the meth to cook, it can explode.

For more, see Meth labs return, new cooking method blamed.

For a related post on meth labs and the problems they cause in homes that once housed them, see The Invisible Legacy Left In Homes Used As Meth Labs.

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta

The Invisible Legacy Left In Homes Used As Meth Labs

A People magazine article published in 2005 described the hazards awaiting subsequent owners/occupants of homes once used as labs to manufacture methamphetamine. The article tells the story of three families and their experiences with contaminated homes that they unwittingly purchased and moved into. The cost to the families' health and finances, and in one case, the stress that may have led to a failed marriage, are described in some detail.

For more, see Homes Toxic Home (Buyers Beware: Owners of homes once used as methamphetamine labs are having health problems -- and sometimes going broke trying to clean up their toxic houses) (no longer available online).

For links to more on meth labs from the FLDFS, see:

• Are you living next to a ticking time bomb? (links to articles & press releases on meth labs), (no longer available online),
• Methamphetamine Videos (links to videos made available by the FLDFS).

For a related post, see Beware Of Homes Used As Indoor Pot Farms & Meth Labs.

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta

NAR Field Guide To Meth Labs

The National Association Of Realtors ("NAR"), through its Information Central, has compiled a list of useful links to media reports and other sources from around the country that deal with the hazards of meth labs and the real estate used to house them. Links to articles describing the growing epidemic and warning signs, as well as articles describing issues related to property management, disclosure, and decontamination are included. Although the links to some of the media reports have expired, the remaining links provide ample information for those interested in the subject. For more, see Field Guide to Meth Labs (NAR's Information Central).

Go here for some methamphetamine information resources.

Go here and go here for other posts on home based meth labs. meth lab zeta