Meth Lab Busts

Charleston, West Virginia: Smurfing behavior leads to woman’s arrest

Charleston, West Virginia:  Tracy Lynn Hart, 41, of Smith Creek Road, bought large amounts of a Suphedrine from several area stores, according to a complaint that was filed in Kanawha Magistrate Court.

The practice, called smurfing, ignited an immediate investigation about why Hart might need so much Suphedrine, a medicine that is used to treat sinus headaches.

With her consent, police searched Hart’s home, where they found the makings of a meth lab [Read more...]

Meth Lab Explosions

Boonville, Indiana: Motel room explosion blamed on TN Meth Cooks

Police believe that a TN couple drove to Booneville, Indiana to manufacture methamphetamine. Motel Manor owner said there was nothing unusual about David Sharp, 22, and Sandra Stanley, 28, when she rented them Room 14 at the motel. But when fire trucks arrived at the motel to put out a fire that began in the bathtub of Room 14, she realized that they were [Read more...]

State News

Louisiana: Governor Jindal signs bill that restricts sale of pseudoephedrine

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA (July 2, 2009) – A new meth bill has been signed in to law by Governor Bobby Jindal, a bill that will make it tougher for meth cooks to obtain pseudoephedrine, a necessary meth ingredient.

Governor Jindal’s press release:

Today, Governor Bobby Jindal signed a bill into law that will help stop drug dealers from illegally making the highly dangerous drug meth. Governor Jindal said, “This new law will help to crack down on the sale of drugs that can be used for the production of methamphetamines – and [Read more...]

National News

The Meth epidemic according to Sheriffs and County Associations

The National Association of Counties found that methamphetamine is the number 1 illegal drug problem for 47 percent of the counties in the United States, a higher percentage than that of any other drug.

Methamphetamine labs are costly to clean up in that every pound of methamphetamine produced can yield up to 5 pounds of toxic waste, representing a public danger to adults and children.

Crime related to methamphetamine abuse continues to increase, with 55 percent of sheriffs reporting increases in robberies and burglaries [Read more...]

Books and Videos

Methland The Death and Life of an American Small Town

Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town How is meth affecting small town America? Nick Reding, author of Methland, takes a look at the meth addiction and meth manufacturing problem that is affecting small towns. For his book, he spent four years studying Olewein, Iowa, a rural community, populated by just over 6,000 residents who are struggling to combat low-paying jobs, rising unemployment rates, and the meth epidemic that is preying on rural communities.

Included in the book is information from meth users, like Roland Jarvis, whose addiction to meth began when he used meth to help him stay alert during his double shifts at a local meth-processing plant. But, Jarvis wasn’t the only [Read more...]

Viewer Letters

How to decontaminate furniture and mattresses

We are dealing with a meth lab cleanup on our property, courtesy of previous occupants.  We have demolished the contaminated structure and are building new, which has drained every last resource we have.  Now, we are faced with the dilemma of how to decontaminate our furniture- couches and mattresses, mainly.  We can’t afford to replace them, and after the nightmare we’ve gone through, just don’t trust second hand or [Read more...]

Health Topics

Chronic Toxicity: The meth lab toxins that keep on giving

What kind of health problems can be caused by living in a home that’s been used as a meth lab? Living in a former meth lab home that is still contaminated with toxic chemicals over a period of months or years can have long term effects on your health. Long term exposure to toxins is known as chronic toxicity.

Chronic toxicity, put simply, is the illness that arises  after you’ve been exposed to small amounts of toxic chemicals over a long period of time. According to the Partnership for a Drug Free America, chronic exposure to meth lab chemicals leads to chronic [Read more...]

Faces of Meth

Weaver Alabama girl drinks meth lab acid stored in Sprite bottle

Weaver, Alabama: Eleven year old Kristen Michelle Kelley was changed forever on February 13, the day she drank hydrochloric acid from the Sprite bottle that she found outside, while playing near her uncle’s trailer. Twelve days later, she continued to receive treatment at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham for injuries to her [Read more...]

Meth Lab Clean Up

Kentucky meth labs disclosure and cleanup rules amended

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 14, 2008) — People who are considering renting, leasing or buying a residence must now be given written notice by the owner if the property has been contaminated by methamphetamine and has not been properly cleaned up by a certified contractor. [Read more...]

Word on the Street

Cedar Rapids Iowa: Neighbors help rid their community of meth

Neighbors in one Cedar Rapids, Iowa community are uniting to rid their neighborhood of meth and the violence and crime that comes along with it. Tips submitted by citizens can help police shut down meth labs, making communities safer for those who live there, [Read more...]

Technology

First meth lab home built in space by NASA contractor

Fred Fuchs, a Nasa contractor, has done what no meth lab cook has ever done before. He has taken a meth lab to the final frontier, where no police have ever been before.Yet, that is exactly what he wants law enforcement agents to do.  Find his meth lab. Fuchs wants all cops to know - when it comes to meth labs, they should expect the unexpected. Fuchs has hidden his meth lab so well, that even the DEA would have a hard time finding it or the pre-cursor chemicals or cooked meth that are located inside his lab. [Read more...]

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