No longer confined to the rural communities of North Carolina, meth labs are popping up in places that could put non users in danger, according to DEA officials.
CLEMMONS, N.C. -- No longer confined to the rural communities of North Carolina, meth labs are popping up in places that could put non users in danger.
Stephanie Laver, 30, of Clemmons, now faces multiple charges after the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office and the State Bureau of Investigation found a methamphetamine lab inside her condominium.
It's a discovery that authorities say could have been very dangerous for her neighbors at the complex.
"This experience teaches us that these types of labs, especially methamphetamine labs can be located anywhere," said Forsyth County Sheriff Bill Schatzman.
Officials say these labs are dangerous to more than just meth users.
A meth lab was found in this condominium.
"It's very combustible, very volatile, it spreads in the air and it could cause internal damage to the lungs," said Wally Serniak with the Greensboro Drug Enforcement Administration Office.
Serniak says the chemicals in meth labs are very dangerous and if mixed improperly can be fatal.
"The volatility of the chemical itself, if there's heat added or taken away or anything that may ignite or spark, it's just very combustible," said Serniak.
SBI agents made North Carolina's first meth lab bust in 1999 and for the next few years the number of busts only continued to climb. In 2003, agents made 177 methamphetamine lab busts.
But ever since a new state law went into effect in 2006 that makes it more difficult for these criminals to get their hands on the drug's key ingredient, pseudoephedrine, the number of labs has gone down.
On the other side, when pharmacies say no, Serniak says meth users are now looking south for their fix.
“It's obviously much easier to obtain the chemicals and ingredients in Mexico, so they produce it in Mexico and just transport it in," said Serniak.
It's a back and forth battle that the DEA says, unfortunately, keeps them in business.