Southern Tier Hot Spot For Meth Labs (New York) [View all]

[CompanyFirstSergeant]

For those of you who insist the world is a safe place, that self defense handguns are unnecessary, or that people who carry for self defense are being paranoid.

The following takes place in Broome County (neighboring my county) and Tioga County (one county west of that.)

Whose to say I will never encounter a crew cooking meth? I already stumbled upon an unoccupied meth lab a few years back.

In the last ten years, there have been more than 300 methamphetamine labs uncovered in New York State. Almost a quarter of those in Broome and Tioga Counties. The latest drug bust was Thursday, on Hooper Road in the Town of Union. Three men were arrested after manufacturing the illegal drug. Officials say the Southern Tier is a hot spot for meth labs. And the most active area in New York State. "It just so happens that the first cookers that came in over the last decade happened to be associated with the Southern Tier and settled here, and what we find is when one person learns it, they teach between 5 and 10 other people, so that's why the Southern Tier is a hot bed of activity for meth labs," said Lt. Patrick Garey with the New York State Police. Police are also concerned with the number of weapons showing up in drug busts. They found 7 guns in Thursday's meth bust alone.

http://www.wbng.com/closings/81934707.html?m=y&smobile=y

And please do not tell me 'you will never outgun a meth crew' - I would rather have the ability to fight back as opposed to letting them victimize myself, my wife and our children.




It was my dogs who first alerted me to the presence of something unusual - the place stank like urine. Bottles and jugs everywhere, the grass (in the summer) was brown, apparently they dump stuff all the time.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR – APPEARANCE OF THE STRUCTURE

A house or other structure containing a meth lab usually has one or more of the following characteristics:

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.

COVERED WINDOWS – Meth makers often blacken or cover windows to prevent outsiders from seeing in.

STRANGE VENTILATION – Meth makers often employ unusual ventilation practices to rid themselves of toxic fumes produced by the meth-making process. They may open windows on cold days or at other seemingly inappropriate times, and they may set up fans, furnace blowers, and other unusual ventilation systems.

ELABORATE SECURITY – Meth makers often set up elaborate security measures, including, for example, "Keep Out" signs, guard dogs, video cameras, or baby monitors placed outside to warn of persons approaching the premises.

DEAD VEGETATION – Meth makers sometimes dump toxic substances in their yards, leaving burn pits, "dead spots" in the grass or vegetation, or other evidence of chemical dumping.

EXCESSIVE OR UNUSUAL TRASH – Meth makers produce large quantities of unusual waste.