Controversy surrounds Utah study on meth lab effects on First Responders
November 20, 2008
The results of a $500,000, two year study ordered by Utah legislators that was designed to examine meth lab exposure and health effects was announced on Wednesday. The approval of the study was prompted when law enforcement officers filed claims for workman’s compensation, alleging that their health problems were Read more
Salt Lake County family denied the right to sue health department over meth lab home
November 15, 2008
Like thousands of people across America, the Alkinani family bought a home expecting that the home was “safe to live in”. But, when neighbors told them that the home had been used as a meth lab, they decided to contact their local health department. The health department admitted that the home had once been used as Read more
Super Meth Lab blows up in Madeira County, California
October 27, 2008
A 33 year old, Mexican national, is said to be responsible for a meth lab explosion in Madeira County, California. When firefighters arrived at the home, they discovered that the fire had originated in two sheds behind the house. The sheds were being rented by the Mexican meth cook. The lab was capable of producing hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine according to investigators. The location of the lab was on Avenue 16 1/2 just east of Road 16.
According to CBS 47 TV, “Hazmat and environmental crews had to wait over two days to access this site because of toxic conditions and dangerous contamination. The materials inside the sheds even affected how firefighters attacked the blaze because if they douse the flames with water, the poisonous materials would seep into the ground. It is estimated that at least four 55-gallon drums worth of soil will have to be removed from this site because of contamination.”
The owner of the property and the person renting the home both said they had no idea that the sheds were being used as meth labs. The owner of the property will now be responsible for the demolition and may be responsible for paying for some of the cleanup. Madeira County will pay for the initial cleanup of the property which is said to be about $25,000. Any additional cost for cleanup will be handed over to the owner of the home. CBS 47 says this is the third meth lab explosion in Madeira County in the last six years.
Reference: “Super Meth Lab discovered in Madeira County” 10/27/2008, http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=231bdcf0-334e-46ea-b7a1-0478af7bc9dc
Before you buy a foreclosed home ask yourself at least one question
October 23, 2008
If you are thinking about buying a home that is being sold as a foreclosure, ask yourself one question before you sign on the dotted line. Was the home ever used as a meth lab?
Drug enforcement teams dismantle meth lab bombs by using robots
October 15, 2008
When the St. Louis County Police purchased their RMI-9WT Bomb Removal Robot with Homeland Security funds in 2005, it cost them $103,000.00. But, if you ask the Franklin County police, they’ll tell you that it’s worth every penny.
After Franklin County police arrived at the scene of an active meth lab, they realized they needed to call for some assistance. St. Louis County Police agreed it was time to pull out all of the stops and deploy their RMI-9WT Bomb Removal Robot.
Once the RMI-9WT arrived, police realized they had a problem. The small size of the home prevented sending the robot in to find the bomb. It was time for plan B, a bomb technician was sent in to the home to remove the bomb and hand it off to the RMI-9WT robot that waited outside.
With bomb in hand, the RMI-9WT took the bomb to an open field, where it was detonated. Police described the explosion to a WWII grenade. Shrapnel, they reported, flew as far out as 75 yards away, but no one got injured, thanks to the assistance of the robot.
The RMI-9WT survived the blast, but it didn’t fare as well as the humans involved in the meth lab bust. It sustained nearly $25,000 in damages.
K-9 Dogs help police to sniff out mobile meth labs
October 6, 2008
Police efforts to crack down on meth lab homes in communities across America have spurred meth lab operators to take their business on the road. In this video, police in Summerdale, Alabama discovered a mobile meth lab during a routine traffic stop, with the help of a K-9 dog. On board the vehicle, police found Read more
Flint Michigan inventor suspected of operating a meth lab
September 28, 2008
A process server who had come to the home of 54 year-old, Joseph Donnelly, noticed something unusual about his home. Something so unusual, that it required he make a 911 call to the local police. When police and firefighters responded to the call for help, they discovered containers of unmarked chemicals and equipment - the makings of a meth lab. But, a search of the home for meth came up empty. It didn’t surprise Donnelly. He was making something that he knew was worth much more than methampethamine. Read more
Identity theft and fake meth lab registry sites
September 21, 2008
In my efforts to keep my visitors informed about how to better protect themselves from renting or buying a meth lab home, it worries me to think about how many viewers will go to sites that will give them misleading information. One such site, that recently turned up on the net, requires vistors to enter personal information in order to get access to a list of web sites in the U.S. The site attempts to make visitors “think” it is an official site by prominently displaying a picture of a government building on it.
Knowing full well that there is no database anywhere in the world that contains that information, I asked a friend to sign up to see just what kind of information they had to offer. When you sign up for the site, you Read more
Pennsylvania meth cook used cave to make $1 million in meth
September 12, 2008
If you enjoy hiking and exploring caves you may be at a greater risk from your fellow man than you are of wandering bears. According to a recent report by the Pittsburg Post-Gazette, the Northwestern PA Task Force found a meth manufacturing operation that was housed in a man-made cave on his property. If his house gets sold, new home buyers should be aware that the grounds surrounding the home have been contaminated with meth chemicals. The Gazette report doesn’t mention any contamination found inside of Read more
66 guns and a meth lab found in bedroom of Missouri home
September 4, 2008
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Bradley J. Schlozman, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Conception Junction, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for participating in a conspiracy with her husband to manufacture methamphetamine. This indictment is the result of work completed by the NITRO Task Force.
Carol J. Wood, 45, of Conception Junction, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Fernando J. Gaitan this morning to five years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Wood to forfeit to the government $9,850, which represents proceeds of the conspiracy, and a Read more