way off penturning topics, but..

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johnnycnc

johnnycnc

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Joined
Feb 27, 2006
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Location
columbus, IN, USA.
Has anyone here actually caught a whiff of odors from a KNOWN meth (or other such drug) cooking operation??

I went out at 4;30 to start car and warm up this a.m., all was fine,
came in finished getting ready. Go out 15 minutes later, and there is this
funky odor, really heavy in the air. I use propane to heat the garage shop, and it kind of reminded me of the slight whiff of raw propane I get when changing tanks.
Anyway, it was reeking in the car, outside..all around outdoors.
I checked the car exhaust, nope. Then i get to smelling, for lack of better terms.."dead animal", mixed in with the chemically "propane like" smell.
It is completely gone this afternoon, so a dead critter wasn't likely there this morning.

I started wondering about drug cooking. My neighbors are elderly, in mid 80's,
and have some ? grandkids? living with them. I don't think the kids work, not that it appears anyway.
So, I contacted the desk at local PD, and they said next time I smelled it, CALL immediately. Guy told me anhydrous ammonia fumes can travel for miles in cold weather, 5 miles or more?? So.. it's hard to say what or where.
But, I don't think our farmers are doing field stuff right now, either.

Any real life experiences out there??? I know it's widespread, our county has a lot of meth lab busts every year. just don't want to think it's my neighbors,
but..
 
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Strong, unpleasant smells. Anyone who has ever owned a cat will recognize the acrid smell of ammonia. If you notice a "cat urine" smell strongly emanating from a nearby building, or notice any other strong chemical smells, it's unlikely that cats are to blame - especially if any of the following observations coincide with the smell.

Deliberate attempts to prevent anyone from seeing inside the building. Often the questionable building either has no windows or, more suspiciously, the windows are covered somehow.
Lots of traffic. A meth lab will have many frequent, brief visits at strange hours of the day, often at night in the hopes that all neighbors are asleep.
Copious quantities of garbage. A meth labs uses lots of chemicals like stove fuel, white gasoline, ammonia, propane tanks, paint thinner and antifreeze, not to mention cold and diet pills. And equipment like glass containers and tubing is always in use. If your neighbor is careless enough to leave all of the empty containers out on the curb for garbage pickup, then the sheer quantity of trash should make you suspicious. But you should never inspect the garbage yourself; meth lab equipment and waste are extremely hazardous. It's far more likely that your neighbor will never leave the garbage out at the curb for pickup, but instead always ship the garbage elsewhere so as to avoid detection
 
The one time I encountered it, it smelled like a very strong ammonia. Strong enough to make your eyes water and nose burn. That was from outside a meth house down the street.
 
Oh sure John..I've smelt it. If there is a trailer home near by, that's likely the culprit. There was one about a 1/4 mile down the road from me, but it blew up. The explosion launched that trailer about 100 ft off from it's concrete pad. I'm not saying all trailer home people are meth labs, I'm just saying that usually if there is a meth lab it's in a trailer home.
 
Extremely explosive operation. If you suspect one in the immediate vicinity definitely call the local guys. They have the experience to deal with it and it is something that needs to be dealt with immediately.

I have alerted my local police to the fact that I often use MEK just to avoid any chance of a raid at my place as I vent the operation outside with fans and such.

They came to the shop to see what was what and were quite surprised at the distance the fumes were noticeable. I am sure I would have one of my neighbors "wondering" what I was up to this time.

I once had a custom reloading operation running full blast and was always shooting full auto into my water tank to 'test' my loads. That was definitely an attention getter. I had my FFL Class III license copied and attached to the door in plain sight just so they didn't have to come in .... unless they needed some 'free' samples which I always supplied them. Best business cards available next to coffee and doughnuts!
 
workinforwood said:
Oh sure John..I've smelt it. If there is a trailer home near by, that's likely the culprit. There was one about a 1/4 mile down the road from me, but it blew up. The explosion launched that trailer about 100 ft off from it's concrete pad. I'm not saying all trailer home people are meth labs, I'm just saying that usually if there is a meth lab it's in a trailer home.
Click to expand...



Not tryin to stir any dust or anything, but i strongly disagree with this statement. In Oklahoma, there are entire neighborhoods (NOT trailer parks, but actual neighborhoods) that are all trailers. It would be insane to think that they all, or even half cook dope.

I also know for a fact that there are trailer parks, and trailer neighborhoods in Florida that only let Seniors in. Again, HIGHLY unlikely that even one of these people cook drugs.

I will say that there is alot of meth labs in the poor neighborhoods, and there are usually alot of trailer houses in these neighborhoods, so naturally you will have more meth labs in trailers due to the uneven balance.


BACK TO TOPIC... (sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread)...

I would look for more obvious signs.

Lots of cars, or really nice cars, or a constant changing of cars. (Most meth dealers end up with stupid amounts of cash, and they usually like to blow it on a fancy car or accessories for a car, or constantly be getting a different car)

Lots of odd stuff.. (Most meth dealers deal with theives. These people will steal anything that is not bolted down, and stuff that is bolted down if they can cut the bolts. Alot of times, they trade their stolen goods for drugs, so meth cooks end up with a yard full of junk, or a garage full of stuff, or porch, etc. etc.)

Try to meet all of your neighbors, especially the ones in question. Most meth cooks are heavily addicted, so all the telltale signs will be there (sunken eyes, bad or missing teeth, sores on the face, lack of ability to focus, slurred, mumbled speech, poor hygeine). If they aren't strung out on the drugs, then they will likely have chemical burns on their skin, or a very harsh throat from breathing the stuff. Pay close attention to the hands. If you see lots of small minor injuries, be weary. Just the act of going over and being neighborly and introducing yourself will usually get them nervous enough to tip you off.

Pay attention to how much and what kind of traffic is around. Some cooks only have one or two people they will allow to pick up, so it may be light traffic. If it is the same people visiting daily, or multiple times a day or similar, then be weary.

There are other things to look for surely, I just cant think of any of them right now. I havent had to think about this type of stuff since i was a teenager... But that's a different story...
 
workinforwood said:
Oh sure John..I've smelt it. If there is a trailer home near by, that's likely the culprit. There was one about a 1/4 mile down the road from me, but it blew up. The explosion launched that trailer about 100 ft off from it's concrete pad. I'm not saying all trailer home people are meth labs, I'm just saying that usually if there is a meth lab it's in a trailer home.
Click to expand...


Mobile homes are not the most likely place for meth labs. They cook it in sheds, basements, cars, holes dug in the ground, even on mopeds around here, and if you watch the news, even in their pockets.
They try to avoid the obvious places like a mobile home for people with the same stereotypical idea as yours. If they can, they will set up in your back yard.
 
Thanks for everyone's replies! I'm not sure what it was, but it was stinky!
I do know I'll call our local PD if it occurs again. For all I know it could be a gas leak, chemical spill.. who knows! It's gone for sure, but I suspicion it will come back.
 
workinforwood said:
Oh sure John..I've smelt it. If there is a trailer home near by, that's likely the culprit. There was one about a 1/4 mile down the road from me, but it blew up. The explosion launched that trailer about 100 ft off from it's concrete pad. I'm not saying all trailer home people are meth labs, I'm just saying that usually if there is a meth lab it's in a trailer home.
Click to expand...

Hey, that's a stereotype statement.:biggrin:.. I live in a modular home... it's a double wide on solid cement block foundation, and most of the homes around me here in this county are modulars...most of the residents are older citizens... like me.:biggrin:
just about 1/4 mile from me an older gentleman (ex school teacher) owns 8 trailers on the corner of his property that he rents... he evicted one tenant last month because he got drunk and into an altercation with the police.

My neighbor's son found some paraphernalia in the ditch beside his house for making meth... he called the police and they brought the hazmat team and half a dozen other officers out and took a couple hours to do the "clean up"....

In Tennessee if you buy cold and sinus medicine that can be used to make meth, you have to show your driver's license, it's logged into the pharmacy computer that you bought it and if you buy it very often, even if it's legitimate you'll probably get a visit from the sheriff.
 
Gary Beasley said:
Actually sounds more like a close encounter with a skunk.
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That was going to be my suggestion.

Meth labs smell mainly of ammonia.

You stated it was similar to the smell of propane. Propane does not smell, but to identify leaks the manufactures of propane add an oderant, usually ethyl mercaptan, which gives it a rotten egg oder (I compare it to Hydrogen Sulfide).

A skunk's scent is produced by a mixture of sulfer-containing chemicals, methyl and butly thiols (aka mecaptans), which smell like rotten eggs, garlic and burnt rubber all in one.

So, if it was similar to your propane experience, it was probably a skunk (which strong, pervasive and down right nasty).

If, on the other hand, it smelled like something from your wife's cleaning cabinet, it 'might' have been a meth lab.
 
Grim Spirit said:
That was going to be my suggestion.

Meth labs smell mainly of ammonia.

You stated it was similar to the smell of propane. Propane does not smell, but to identify leaks the manufactures of propane add an oderant, usually ethyl mercaptan, which gives it a rotten egg oder (I compare it to Hydrogen Sulfide).

A skunk's scent is produced by a mixture of sulfer-containing chemicals, methyl and butly thiols (aka mecaptans), which smell like rotten eggs, garlic and burnt rubber all in one.

So, if it was similar to your propane experience, it was probably a skunk (which strong, pervasive and down right nasty).

If, on the other hand, it smelled like something from your wife's cleaning cabinet, it 'might' have been a meth lab.
Click to expand...


Not a skunk. Chemical odor. Stunk.:biggrin:
 
You people that all of a sudden seam to think I am some sort of trailer racist maybe need to go back a read my initial post, which I will not be editing. It is a FACT that around here, most meth labs are in trailer homes. This makes sense, because meth labs are dangerous, trailers are not so expensive and can be easily placed in remote locations. Nowhere do I say that ALL PEOPLE in trailers make meth. I don't even say most people in trailers make meth. I say most meth labs are in trailers. Completely different statements. I do not understand why certain people feel the need to twist words and meanings so that they can all of a sudden be jumping up and down "oh no I'm so offended!":crying: Get a life. The few of you that also feel the need to PM me with threats of "You better watch what I say or I won't buy your blanks"...well I"m sorry, but that is not a threat to me. I'd rather have you not buy them than try and bully me with intimidation. I'm not the government that just backs down from every whiner. Stop trying to stire the pot..there's nothing here to stir!
 
Just curious Jeff, Do you have any proof to back up your statement? Show me the statistics you researched to conclude that trailers are the preferred medium of hideout for meth cooks in the Midwest.

You figure that because the trailer down the street was a lab that most labs are in trailers?

YOU are the one stirring the pot..... Me and one other person mentioned how JACKED your thought process was on this subject. Since that has happened, you posted, and several other people have also posted funnny little quips. Now, DAYS LATER, you come on the thread and feel the need to defend your statements, and send me a PM telling me blah blah blah.

If you don't want to catch heat from the people that buy your blanks (NOT ME) then be more cautious of your tongue. If you don't care, then spew ignorance all over the boards! Your statement was very stereotypical and ignorant. I didnt wanna go there, but if you are going to call me out then as the UFC ref's like to say....... "LETS GET IT ON"



I will be replying to your PM in just a minute. and if you want to contine this little debate, we can do it there. I would rather flame you in private!
 
greenmtnguy said:
Strong, unpleasant smells. Anyone who has ever owned a cat will recognize the acrid smell of ammonia. If you notice a "cat urine" smell strongly emanating from a nearby building, or notice any other strong chemical smells, it's unlikely that cats are to blame
Click to expand...

As a side note, bats will produce an intense ammonia smell, but it seems to dissipate much more quickly than the smell from raw ammonia; it will be almost painful if you're near an opening to a large colony's den, but barely noticeable 20-30ft away, whereas a large industrial ammonia release (I worked in a plant that used ammonia by the ton for cooling right beside my work area, so we had a lot of training in leak procedures.) can be excruciatingly painful (hint: that's your body's way of saying you're way too close) for miles downwind. Even a small release will give you a strong urge to move away.

On the meth lab potential, this from http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/methnet/recognizingmeth/outside.html (emphasis mine)
UNUSUAL ODORS – Making meth produces powerful odors that may smell like ammonia or ether. These odors have been compared to the smell of cat urine or rotten eggs.
Click to expand...

Rotten egg being a hydrogen sulfide scent, and ethyl mercaptan (the propane "alert chemical") smelling similar to hydrogen sulfide would make me suspicious of any "propane leak" smell without an apparent source. Add in the ammonia smell, and I'd definitely keep the authorities notified when it happens. If it's some other sort of chemical release, then they still need to know about it.

The other scent indicators would be acetone and possibly denatured alcohol, but I suspect most of us are at least somewhat desensitized to the things we use on a regular basis.
 
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I can find them all day here on line. Best place to have a meth lab is in the country, out in the woods preferably. Maybe due to rural location being a good hiding place, correlates with the fact that small towns have higher drug rates than big cities.

Keep in mind, my point of view of a mobile home meth lab is anything that can be transported easily. This is a mobile home delivered on a trailer, a mobile home with wheels, and RV, a semi trailer or container, a big shed from a big box store, they are all mobile, and even though a few of these mobile items are not what most of us would consider a residence, there are people that reside in sheds and semi trailers for whatever their reasons.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/17893/how_to_spot_a_home_meth_lab_and_what.html?cat=5

Although I can post 60,000 links to mobile homes and other small mobile structures, I can not post an actual stat sheet that divides every type of meth lab location. I called the sheriff in town and asked him if he could point me where I could find such a sheet and he said I will not find one. He said it's plain as day obvious that most meth labs are in mobile buildings of one sort or another, but an actual stat sheet does not exist because that would be goverment profiling, even though the economic situation of an individual has nothing to do with the choice location for a lab. Apparently there's as many or more labs opperated by people with lots of money than without, and these people will have a mobile lab or several out in the woods, often not even on their own property because this eliminates the risk of their own house and makes them harder to catch. He says the big thing here in Michigan has actually been changing into to using real houses for meth labs. These are houses that have been abandoned due to forclosures and are now owned by banks, so they are nice houses that are un-occupied, so they gather the supplies, break into the house and make the meth and then quickly vacate to a new house, so they are always on the move and nearly impossible to find. The bank is left with the bio hazard trash to deal with. Imagine if you are the bank guy and you go to check on your house!:eek:
 
It is unfortunate that threads get to this point. I have learned that being right and losing someone is not worth it. Pride has a funny way of making us dig in and fight over things that really don't matter.

The statement that meth labs are likely to be in Trailer or Mobile homes, while it may be true, may not make for the best statement. I have family who live in mobile homes and there is a stigma that while true in some mobile home parks, is not true across the board. I am not a PC guy, but I do believe in tact.

When someone gets upset, or offended, we should do only one thing and that is apologize for the offense. We should not judge why they feel offended or try and prove that they should not be offended, we should humble ourselves, ask for forgiveness and explain that it was not your intention to offend.

If they refuse your appology, then it is on them, and they are now in the wrong. You are free to walk away knowing that you have done all that you could to resolve the issue.

I would suggest that those who have any issues PM and make up, better yet, make a call and do it in person. It is much harder to say nasty things to people in person.

Just my two cents.
 
workinforwood said:
Oh sure John..I've smelt it. If there is a trailer home near by, that's likely the culprit. There was one about a 1/4 mile down the road from me, but it blew up. The explosion launched that trailer about 100 ft off from it's concrete pad. I'm not saying all trailer home people are meth labs, I'm just saying that usually if there is a meth lab it's in a trailer home.
Click to expand...

Jeff, around here they cook meth while driving around in cars, in Memphis the busted some cookers in a beautiful home in Bartlett, a pretty nice suburb of Memphis, a funny one was when the cops pulled the one jerk over he was cooking it in the bed of his pick up the fool pulled into an elementary school parking lot in Selmer. These freaks are getting scary, they are all around us out here in the country.
 
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