Neighborhood Meth Labs

Meth labs are everywhere. They are usually set up in a rental house that can be abandoned quickly if the need arises. The bad news is there may be one located in your neighborhood without you even suspecting it. The good new is there are tell tale signs that draw attention to a house that is being used as a meth lab.

The outside of the house itself will tell you a lot. If there is a meth lab inside, they do not want you to see what is going on. The windows will always have heavy curtains that are never open, or the windows may be boarded up or painted black to keep people from seeing in. There is no way they can mask the chemical odor that is produced by what they are doing, there will be a chemical smell in the air. If you notice a lot of containers such as bottles and jars in the trash but there is no regular garbage such as food scraps, food containers or packages from a grocery store it should raise suspicions. If you see discarded material, including coffee filters, that may have been used to filter red phosphorus/chemicals, take note. There may be chemical burns in the grass from dumping waste outside. If they have BEWARE OF DOG signs posted and you have never seen any evidence of one, they may be hoping to deter visitors.

You’ll probably notice frequent comings and goings at all times of the day and night, with none of them staying more than a few minutes. The people who are always at the house are very unlikely to be friendly to anyone. The likelihood of anyone in the house having a real job that they go to every day is slim to none, yet they will have money to pay the rent and utilities. In all instances they will use cash to pay their bills. No one will want their name on a checking account, or even on a money order. If there are smokers in the house, you can bet that they will be smoking outside as the chemicals that are inside are extremely flammable. If they are outside for any reason you’ll probably notice that they are paranoid about watching cars that drive by the house, or even walkers passing by.

Maybe no one of these signs alone can point to a meth lab, but as these things add up, there becomes a better chance that there is one. Whatever you do, don’t approach the house or do anything that will arouse suspicion by the occupants. Call the police and report your observations, then let them take it from there.


If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow today. We are here to help.
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