How to spot a Meth Lab

The (un)definitive guide to spotting a meth lab in your neighborhood

Because the process in which meth is made changes as new methods are developed I couldn’t call this the “definitive guide to spotting a meth lab in your neighborhood”. However, this should be a good start if you suspect your neighbors are making meth.

First off, meth has a strange odor, and the smell of meth is not easily masked. Depending on the size and scale of the operation, the odor may be strong. Some people mistake the smell of meth being made as a gas leak – however if you smell an odd smell repeatedly you can always contact your fire department (or police dept.) and ask them to investigate.

There will also likely be people coming and going at all hours. This is typical, not just of a meth lab, but of a meth house in general. Meth addicts can typically stay up for days at a time and don’t exactly use discretion when it comes to what would be considered “normal”  in a neighborhood.

Secondly, depending on how much meth is being made there will likely be containers used in the meth making process laying around. This would be tough to spot if it’s a small scale meth lab or they are using the shake and bake method to make meth because they might not have a large volume of discarded containers laying around. The shake and bake (or one pot) method makes small amounts at a time so if your neighbor is making more than just a small amount they would likely make meth using a combination of items:

• Glass Pyrex or Corning dishes
• Jugs/bottles
• Paper towels
• Coffee filters
• Thermometer
• Cheesecloth
• Funnels
• Blenders
• Rubber tubing/gloves
• Buckets
• Gas cans
• Tape/clamps
• Aluminum foil
• 20lb. Propane cylinders
• Hotplates
• Plastic storage containers/ice chests
• Measuring cups
• Towels/bed sheets
• Laboratory beakers/glassware

So if you happen to glimpse through a kitchen window or into a garage where there are oddities like this laying around out of place and in conjunction with one another it might be time to get suspicious. For instance a hot plate and a blender plugged in out in the garage might be a little odd, especially if it there is a film or chemical residue on them. Also keep in mind that these are common household items, some of which could also be used in making home made beer which is totally legal.

Lastly, the many materials needed to make meth. With the exception of anhydrous ammonia, many of these are items that can be bought at local stores, typically in small quantity (especially pseudoephedrine pills). You would likely see the empty containers for these products laying around or in the trash. The materials needed to make meth include:

• Alcohol (Isopropyl or rubbing alcohol)
• Toluene (brake cleaner)
• Ether (engine starter)
• Sulfuric Acid (drain cleaner)
• Red Phosphorus (matches/road flares)
• Salt (table/rock), Iodine (teat dip or flakes/crystal)
• Lithium (batteries)
• Trichloroethane (gun scrubber)
• MSM (cutting agent)
• Sodium Metal, Methanol/Alcohol (gasoline additives)
• Muriatic Acid
• Anhydrous Ammonia (farm fertilizer)
• Sodium Hydroxide (lye)
• Pseudoephedrine (cold tablets)
• Ephedrine (cold tablets)
• Acetone
• Cat Litter

Now before you go crazy on me about listing everything needed to make meth, believe me when I say that this information is all over the place online and any resourceful tweaker has found the actual recipe long before finding this list. I am listing the common items needed so that if you happen to see alot of empty containers for the listed items you can maybe make a more educated guess as to whether or not your neighbor or someone else has a meth lab going on.

I am not saying you should become some sort of secret agent here, but if there are a combination of things that make you suspicious, it may be time to contact the authorities to investigate. It’s far better to be safe than sorry when it comes to meth labs. These home made meth labs are very dangerous and explosions caused by making meth can, and do happen all the time.

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