U.S. Border Security and California Meth Labs

President Obama stressed greater border security in his State of the Union Address tonight, an issue that is directly tied to the illegal drug trafficking of drugs in the U.S. Although, the concept of securing our borders is a good one, I don’t think it’s possible to stop illegals from entering the country, if that’s what they want to do. But, I have no doubt Read more

John Osborn denies meth lab burned his baby during jail house interview

John Osborn demonstrates how he flicked water in to french fry oil to see if it was heated yet.

During his jail house interview, John Osborn denied that Johna, his one-year-old daughter,  was burned as the result of a meth lab explosion on August 23.  Although, he admits to doing meth in the late 80s, he says he doesn’t do it now.

On the day that Johna got burned, he tells the interviewer,  he was Read more

Mobile, Alabama: Pine Trace Apartments meth lab explosion

Mobile, Alabama (Sept. 1, 2009): Police suspect that a meth lab is responsible for an explosion in an apartment at Pine Trace Apartments on Schaub Avenue in the Pinehurst subdivision in Mobile. Police and firefighters held back news reporters, as the smell of chemicals filled the air surrounding the blast. One man was taken to Providence hospital to be treated for burns, but he was later transferred to the USA Burn Center. Police are still investigating the incident.

Bay County Fl Sheriff Mckeithen is furious over baby burned in explosion

Bay County, FLA Sheriff Frank Mckeithen is furious over a meth lab explosion, earlier this week, that resulted in life threatening burns to a Johna Osborn, a one-year-old baby girl, whose playpen caught fire during a meth lab explosion. At a press conference soon after the explosion, Mckeithen let his anger and his words fly, stressing that he is tired of being politically correct when it comes to saving someone’s life.

*Sheriff McKeithen did this news conference shortly before John Osborn, the baby’s 34 year-old father was arrested and taken in to custody.

Bay County Florida: Baby in critical condition after meth lab explodes

Illinois police stop speeding driver and find meth worth $600,000

August 26, 2009:  The Illinois Cook County Sheriff’s office announced finding 4.4 pounds of crystal meth after pulling over a man who was going 46 mph in a 30 mph zone near intersection of 55th Street and Central in Stickney Township, at 2 a.m. yesterday morning.  Police say when they asked the driver for identification, he provided them with a  fake Michigan driver’s license.

A police search of the car turned up a container on the back seat that held crystal meth with an estimated worth of $600,000.  The driver of the car, has been identified as a resident of Grand Rapids Michigan.  He was placed under arrest on a charge  of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.  He is  scheduled to appear in bond court at the Cook County Courthouse at 2600 S. California Ave.  on Thursday.

For more information about this story:

“$600k of crystal meth found in car”, ABC7 News Chicago, Illinois, 8/26/09, http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6984749

Bay County Florida: Baby in critical condition after meth lab explodes

A one year old girl is in critical condition, after a meth lab in her parents’ home exploded in  Bay County, Florida, on Sunday. One-year-old, Johna Osborn, received 2nd degree burns on 41% of her body, which will likely scar her for life – if she survives. Another baby, who was also in the home, was unhurt.

The Bay County Sheriff’s office says that when they arrived at the home, the girl’s mother explained that the girl got burned when she tripped while carrying the hot grease that started the fire. An investigation of the incident however, revealed that the fire was actually caused by a meth lab explosion, in the family’s home on Mylisa Road in Southport.Investigators believe that the girl’s father, Johnny Osborn was cooking meth when the explosion occurred. Despite his young daughter’s serious burn injuries, Osborn fled, when neighbors wouldn’t comply with his requests not to call 911.

On Tuesday, Osborn went to a local business and asked for medical help for the burns he received on his arms and hands. Employees then called the Lynn Haven Police Department to report a “suspicious” incident. When the Lynn Haven police arrived, they realized they had found the man who was “most wanted” by Sheriff Frank Mckeithen of Bay County. News reports say that then Mckeithen personally arrived to arrest arrest Osborn, before taking him to the hospital to be treated for his burns. Osborn, reports say, was already wanted on warrants out of Georgia. Reports about Sheriff Mckeithen’s reaction to the explosion, said that he was visibly angered and emotional about the incident. In fact, he was so upset with Osborn that he would not refused to acknowledge him as the father, instead choosing to describe him only as the “man that born her”.

Osborn and Wega had only been living in the neighborhood for a month, according to neighbors, who were upset and surprised about the explosion. They described the couple as quiet people, who kept to themselves, and as people who appeared to be good parents. One neighbor said he liked the couple. None of the neighbors, realized that they were running a meth lab. After the explosion, neighbors learned that Johnny Osborn was not the kind of neighbor that they thought he was. Osborn, they said, asked them not to call police after the explosion, because he was wanted by police in Georgia.

Once Osborn gets released from the hospital, he will be taken to the Bay County Jail, where he will be booked on charges including Aggravated Child Abuse, Manufacture of Methamphetamine Resulting in Injury to a Child, and Possession of a Listed Chemical (Pseudoephedrine).

Tessa Wagy, 23, is being charged with aggravated child abuse.

This is the 5th meth related explosion in Bay County in the last two months.

Source: WMBB “Mother Arrested, Father in Hospital After Meth Lab Explosion that Injured Baby”, 8/25/09,http://www.panhandleparade.com/index.php/mbb/article/mother_arrested_father_in_hospital_after_meth_lab_explosion_that_injured_ba/mbb7718501/

AL: Kids find meth lab cooler in the woods and bring it home

7/23/09 Two boys in Marshall County, Alabama were riding their four wheelers in the woods near their home this week, when they found a cooler containing a portable meth lab.

The mother of one of the boys says her son came home with the cooler and said “mom, I think I found some meth”. Inside the cooler, she says she found lithium batteries and a container that was about the size of a 20 ounce bottle with a crystallized substance in it.

She then told the boys to wash their hands, take a shower, and change their clothes. She then called Read more

Waipahu Hawaii meth addict pleads guilty to ax murder

A meth addict Waipahu pleaded guilty on Friday to murdering his father and injuring his mother four years ago,  when he was high on crystal meth.  Mark Kawakami, 46, says that on the day that he attacked his parents with an ax,  he  heard voices that called him “chicken” and other voices that kept telling him “do it”.

Kawakami pled guilty to second-degree murder charges for killing his father and attempted murder charges for trying to kill his Read more

Alabama: Two meth labs explode in Bayou La Batre

Bayou La Batre, Alabama was in the news for the second time this month, because of meth lab explosions. When the first meth lab exploded, just about two weeks ago in room 110 of the Bayou La Batre Inn and Suites motel, Bayou Police Corporal Jason Edwards said it was a first for the city. It didn’t take long for that to change. A second meth lab, located in a trailer home on Satsuma Street, blew up with so much force that it broke every window in the house as well as the door. No one was inside the trailer when the explosion occurred.

Video coverage by Fox 10 TV covered the story of a second meth lab explosion that blew the windows and walls out of a trailer home that had been occupied by the son of Frank Collier, Sr. Franks says his son had been staying with him for the last 5 or 6 days, because he had double pneumonia, but he had gone to the trailer home earlier that night to get some clothes. Police have not named his son as a suspect.

Other interesting news about Bayou Le Batre:

On July 13, 2009, Bayou La Batre received national attention when President Barack Obama nominated Dr. Regina Benjamin, a Bayou La Batre physician,  as the nation’s surgeon general.  Read more about her nomination and watch video coverage of her speech on WKRG Channel 5 News.

NPR talks about life in Bayou La Batre in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Operation Arctic Chill freezes meth distribution ring

California / Washington:  Operation Arctic Chill agents found meth, cocaine, cash, and guns, as a result of an investigation of a Mexican drug ring they conducted for 14 months. Washington and California law enforcement agencies collaborated with federal drug agents from the DEA to track and apprehend 31 people, who were involved in a Mexican meth and cocaine trafficking scheme that involved  Mexico, Northern California,  and Washington.  The DEA reports that the drug traffickers bought  meth and cocaine from suppliers in Mexico and California for  distribution in Washington.

Read the press release by the DEA: Read more

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