Meth Labs
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Meth Labs

meth labsHow do I recognize meth labs?

Many people may be unaware that they're living near a meth lab. Here are some things to look for:

  • Unusual, strong odors (like cat urine, ether, ammonia, acetone or other chemicals).
  • Residences with windows blacked out.
  • Open windows vented with fans during the winter.
  • Renters who pay their landlords in cash. (Most drug dealers trade exclusively in cash.)
  • Lots of traffic - people coming and going at unusual times. There may be little traffic during the day, but at night the activity increases dramatically.
  • Excessive trash including large amounts of items such as: antifreeze containers, lantern fuel cans, red chemically stained coffee filters, drain cleaner and duct tape. Additionally, many of the chemicals can be found in common household items such as lantern fuel, cleaners, acetone, muriatic acid, and diet pills.
  • Unusual amounts of clear glass containers being brought into the home.
  • Weapons are very common in meth labs. People who use meth are very paranoid about everything. They are worried that they will be caught by law enforcement and will use any means to not get caught.

Meth labs have many different methods for producing methamphetamine. Each method has its own inherent dangers. Many of the chemicals used are caustic or corrosive, and some of the processes create noxious and harmful fumes.

  • If you suspect a meth lab, leave at once and report it.
  • Do not open any coolers.
  • Do not touch any items. Handling methamphetamine waste residue can burn your skin and eyes, and breathing in the gases can send you to the hospital. Handling these chemicals with unprotected skin, or getting the dust in your eyes can cause serious damage.
  • To avoid the possibility of fire, explosion, death or serious illness, only trained and properly equipped workers can dismantle a lab and take the remnants away for disposal, usually in sealed 55-gallon drums.

Presence of the following items could indicate the existence of a meth lab:

  • Alcohol
  • Ether
  • Benzene
  • Toluene/Paint Thinner
  • Freon
  • Acetone
  • Chloroform
  • Camp Stove Fuel/Coleman Fuel Starting Fluid
  • Anhydrous Ammonia
  • "Heet"
  • White Gasoline
  • Phenyl-2-Propane
  • Phenylacetone
  • Phenylpropanolamine
  • Iodine Crystals Red Phosphorous
  • Black Iodine
  • Lye (Red Devil Lye)
  • Drano
  • Muriatic/Hydrochloric Acid
  • Battery Acid/Sulfuric Acid
  • Epsom Salts
  • Batteries/Lithium
  • Sodium Metal
  • Wooden Matches
  • Propane Cylinders
  • Diet Aids Hot Plates
  • Ephedrine (over-the-counter)
  • Cold Tablets Bronchodialators
  • Energy Boosters
  • Rock Salt

Instances of methamphetamine trafficking and abuse in the United States are on the increase. As a result, this drug is having a devastating impact on communities across the nation. Clandestine production accounts for nearly all of the methamphetamine trafficked and abused in the United States. Domestic methamphetamine production, trafficking, and abuse are concentrated in the western, southwestern, and Midwestern United States. Methamphetamine is also increasingly available in portions of the South and eastern United States, especially Georgia and Florida. Clandestine meth labs in California and Mexico are the primary sources of supply for methamphetamine available in the United States.

What are clandestine meth labs?

Clandestine meth labs are laboratories used for the primary purpose of illicitly (illegally) manufacturing controlled substances, such as cocaine and methamphetamine. Clandestine meth labs are typically small, utilizing common household appliances, glassware, and readily available chemicals. Methamphetamine is clandestinely manufactured using the ephedrine or pseudoephedrine reduction method. In this process, over-the-counter cold and allergy tablets containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine are placed in a solution of water, alcohol, or other solvent for several hours until the ephedrine or pseudoephedrine separates from the tablet. Then, using common household products and equipment listed on the following page and a recipe learned from friends or taken off the Internet, the ephedrine or pseudoephedrine is converted into high quality methamphetamine in makeshift, illegal labs by untrained individuals.

While some clandestine laboratories may be located in industrial areas, they are most frequently located in residential areas. Most clandestine meth labs are located in remote areas where chemical fumes will not alert neighbors or law enforcement. Small-scale meth labs are being operated increasingly in single and multifamily residences in urban and suburban neighborhoods, where they pose a significant threat to public health and safety. Traditionally, meth labs are located in sparsely populated or isolated rural areas in order to avoid detection. A substantial number of laboratories, however, are located in urban areas. If you suspect a meth lab in your neighborhood, do not go into the lab. Many times, people booby trap them to destroy the lab or cover their involvement. Only trained personnel should go into meth labs.


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Meth Facts

  • Children of Meth-addicted parents are often left to fend for themselves, causing intense emotional harm that can lay the foundation for behavioral problems, depression, and future substance abuse. Children of users are frequently exposed to many hazards such as second-hand smoke, risk of accidental drug ingestion, and HIV exposure from needle usage. Other potential hazards include the presence of weapons, possibility of violence, and sexual or physical abuse.
  • Last year, over half of the children in protective custody in Montana were there because of Meth-related abuse or neglect. In the end, many families end up torn apart, with parents in prison, children removed from the home, and lifetimes of physical and emotional damage.
  • The societal costs associated with Meth are staggering. The Montana Attorney General's Office estimates that Meth costs the state government at least $65 million annually for correctional and foster care services alone.
  • Another facet of Meth's impact on communities comes from the crime associated with drug smuggling. Although the chemicals needed to make Meth are effectively regulated in the United States, in many other countries they are not. Criminal drug trafficking syndicates have taken advantage of this fact to capitalize on the United States' Meth trade. This has led to an increase in crimes associated with smuggling cartels.
  • Not only does Meth lead to increases in crime, but it also leads to increased costs to social agencies, corrections, unemployment pools, workers' compensation costs, and losses in employee productivity are extensive. Meth-related health care costs are staggering. Hospitals report an increase of Meth-related admissions in their emergency rooms over the past five years. Additionally, they attribute more emergency room visits to Meth than to any other drug. The majority of patients who suffer health problems from Meth use are either underinsured or have no health insurance at all, contributing to the high cost of health care. In many communities, Meth abuse has also lead to the growth of diseases such as hepatitis, HIV, and AIDS due to intravenous use of the drug and unsafe sex practices.
  • For every pound of Meth produced, approximately five pounds of toxic waste is generated. This waste may include corrosive liquids, acid vapors, heavy metals, solvents, and other harmful materials. Because of the illicit nature of Meth production, waste is often dumped haphazardly, contaminating watersheds used by humans and animals. When Meth is being cooked in a lab, the vapors produced permeate every porous surface in the building, often making them uninhabitable. These vapors can also be highly volatile, sometimes leading to explosions that can severely burn or kill those nearby.
  • To avoid detection, those cooking Meth will often use mobile labs that can be set up outdoors. In recent years, abandoned labs have been discovered at Montana trailheads and fishing accesses, jeopardizing our access to public lands and endangering wildlife. Meth-contaminated waste is commonly found along roadsides.
  • The toxic nature of these sites requires specialized clean-up techniques that are administered by the State Department of Environmental Quality. These costs frequently run thousands of dollars per incident, requiring funds that come out of the already-tight budgets of local law enforcement or property owners.