Warning about Hotel Coffee Pots

Like to make coffee in your hotel room? Think twice before you use the hotel coffee pot. Coffee pots can be used to brew methamphetamine. Whether it’s a 2 star hotel or a 5 star hotel doesn’t matter, unless they’re giving you a brand new coffee pot to use. Remember that meth Read more

Meth Labs Contaminate the Environment

What problems do meth labs present to our environment? People who make methamphetamine in small labs across America use several toxic chemicals to produce the drug. When they are combined, they produce toxins that contaminate homes and the contents within them. For every pound of methamphetamine that’s made, 5 to 6 lbs of toxic waste are produced, which are often dumped down sinks, toilets, or on the ground outside of the lab. The hazardous wastes produced by meth labs affects everyone, one way or another.

What kinds of chemicals are used in the production of meth that are being dumped?

• Starting fluid (either)
• Paint Thinner
• Freon
• Acetone
• Anhydrous ammonia
• Red phosphorus
• Iodine crystals
• Brake cleaner (toluene)
• Drain cleaner (sodium hydroxide)
• Battery Acid (sulfuric acid)
• Reactive Materials (sodium or lithium)
• Cold tablets (containing pseudoephedrine)

First Meth Lab Bust in New England in 2007

The Boston Herald reported on August 12, 2007, that police made their first meth lab bust in Massachusetts for 2007 in Framingham, MA. Police found the lab after a trash bag that was being picked up by trash haulers erupted in to flames. The homeowner was charged with Read more

Methamphetamine labs not just a rural problem

Meth Labs and meth abusers aren’t limited to the back roads of America. This 2006 report on meth labs in TN says that meth labs are becoming an urban trend.

“Meth use and manufacturing, traditionally thought of as rural crimes, are becoming more metropolitan, authorities say. “The trend is more Read more

Mexico’s Part in Meth Addiction in the U.S.

Methamphetamine distribution by Mexican criminal groups is expanding to sustain markets previously supplied by local production, particularly in midwestern and eastern states:

As methamphetamine production in small-scale laboratories has decreased nationally since 2004, Mexican criminal groups have expanded direct distribution of methamphetamine, even in many smaller communities.

For example, in midwestern states such as Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, and Ohio, where methamphetamine laboratory seizures have decreased significantly–in some states by more than 55 percent–Mexican criminal groups have gained control over most distribution of the drug.

In fact, the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) reports that in cities such as Des Moines and Sioux City, where methamphetamine production and distribution previously were controlled by local independent traffickers, Mexican criminal groups, primarily distributing ice methamphetamine, have supplanted independent traffickers.

Law enforcement reporting confirms a similar trend throughout much of the Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Florida/Caribbean, Southeast, and West Central Regions.

These groups pose an increased challenge to local law enforcement because they are often Mexico-based, well-organized, and experienced drug distributors that have been successful in blending into somewhat insular Hispanic communities or among Hispanic workers employed in the agricultural, landscaping, construction, and meat packaging industries. The ability of Mexican criminal groups to continue the expansion of methamphetamine distribution into more communities in the eastern United States appears to be limited primarily by their capability to further expand methamphetamine production in Mexico.

excerpt from the DEA website

When Your Neighbors Operate a Meth Lab

If you suspect that someone in your neighborhood is making methamphetamine – call the police and get a safe distance away from the meth lab location. Do not try to investigate the situation yourself!

Meth Labs contaminate drinking water

Meth Addiction: Some Call It An Epidemic

Although reports about small meth labs say that they are on the decline, usage of the drug appears to me to be going up. But, what do meth addicts do when the source of the drug they “need” can’t supply them anymore? What happens when the supplier gets busted and goes to jail? I assume at that point they have two choices, find a Read more

Cleaning Up Clandestine Meth Labs

Police departments typically hire certified hazardous-material disposal companies to do the initial cleanup of a meth lab. Why don’t the police clean up the labs themselves? Because, there are known health risks associated with being in a meth lab. Read more

Meth Labs: From Sea to Shining Sea

Meth labs are being set up all over America. If you’re thinking that no one “in your area” is making meth, you need to read this excerpt from the Department of Justice notice to police officers.

“Labs are now routinely found in all sorts of environments—from rural farms and fields to suburbs, to urban centers. Operators often set up labs in rental property, including farmhouses, apartments, hotels and Read more

Next Page »