SBI Clandestine Lab Unit : Meth lab busts on the climb in eastern NC

Wayne, Duplin, Sampson, Johnston, & Harnett counties have highest number of meth producers

By: Arthur Mondale | WNCT
Published: February 26, 2010

When the ban on over the counter cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine went into effect in 2006, the number of meth lab busts dropped by more than 40%. But meth labs are making a comeback and firefighters are often the first to see them.
On Thursday night the SBI’s Clandestine Lab Unit was in Pitt County to talk with firefighters in the east about the dangers of the labs.
The face of meth abuse is constantly changing--and so are the ways of producing it.
Authorities say labs often look like science project's--with meth producers using mason jars and crock pots to produce the drug.
The SBI reports Wayne, Duplin, Sampson, Johnston, and Harnett counties still have the highest number of meth producers.
And in more rural areas, they're using vehicles. In fact, authorities once found a lab in a bag on the back of an ATV four wheeler. The worst part is, ingredients are readily available and very flammable. Back in September a Lenoir county lab exploded.
"It's disturbing,” said Clarks Neck Fire chief Brian Dickson. “We've probably been to them and haven't even realized it."
Wataga county fire fighter Darien South suffers permanent lung problems after fighting a fire at a meth lab. Fire fighters say it's a reminder of the dangers that come with the job.
So far, there have been 1,700 meth busts in our state in the last eight years.