Dozens learned about the history and dangers of meth, as well as how to recognize a lab, during a workshop on March 22.

The workshop was led by Special Agent Chis Moody with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation. Moody talked about the dangers of meth and showed the audience photos of people who had injuries such as burns as well as tooth decay from years of ingesting the caustic cocktail.

Meth labs aren’t only a danger to the cooks, but also to others near the lab and those called in to clean them up, Moody said. The labs can explode or catch fire, and labs are sometimes booby-trapped, adding another level of danger.

Meth labs can look very different depending on who taught the cook and what materials they have, Moody said. He showed the class photos showing meth labs ranging from elaborate set-ups in houses to crates packed with supplies and two-liter bottles containing the ingredients.

Moody said the one-pot method has become more popular, and showed the group photos of soda bottles filled with meth ingredients. It is the fastest cook method, and Moody said he has made some in training in 20 minutes.

“It has very little waste and therefore very little evidence,” Moody said, adding that cooks will often try to burn the evidence of the lab or toss it along the road or in a Dumpster. The method was popularized after pseudoephedrine laws limited the amount of the medicine that cooks can purchase on their own at one time, so they began making smaller batches.

Several of the photos showed labs constructed of simple materials. Moody said he could purchase everything he needed to make meth at Walmart, find the recipe online and teach the class to make it in one and a half hours or less.

Moody told the audience to immediately call authorities if they suspect a lab rather than examining it, as the labs can be extremely hazardous and those who own them can be paranoid and dangerous to be around.

METH IN ANSON

Anson County has had more than its fair share of meth labs over the years.

Moody said the meth problem has only gotten worse with pseudoephedrine laws.

“Because of the limitations, they’re no longer able to go to Walmart and buy every pseudoephedrine they have,” Moody said. “So now we’ve got 50, 60, 100 people out here buying pseudoephedrine for them. And instead of cooking once or twice a month, now they’re cooking every day, and in most cases, multiple times a day. We’re identifying huge numbers of people as a result of these investigations. We’re able to lock up huge numbers of people as a result of these investigations.”

Moody said that the Walmart in Wadesboro has the highest number of pseudoephedrine sales out of any pharmacy in the state.

“Anson County lays claim to the very first one-pot we found in the state of North Carolina,” Moody said, saying it was found in 2006. “We didn’t know what we were dealing with. We had no idea. We’d had no training and didn’t know what a one-pot was. We’d had no training on what they looked like.”

The SBI only found one meth lab in Anson in 2001, according to state data. Neighboring Richmond County also reported only one while Union, Stanly and Montgomery Counties all reported no labs.

Anson and neighboring counties continued to report similar numbers until 2005, when there were six labs busted in Anson. Union County reported four while other nearby counties reported two, one or none. While higher than previous years, Anson’s numbers were low compared to McDowell and Rutherford counties, which reported 61 and 44 that year, respectively.

The numbers jumped again the following year in 2006, when Anson reported one of the highest amounts of meth lab busts in the state with 21. That same year, there were five in Union and two in Richmond. The highest number of labs was 25 in McDowell County. Anson ranked third out of all 100 counties in the state that year, and led the state the next year with 28 meth lab busts in 2007. Anson had the second-highest number of meth lab busts in the state in 2008 with 25.

Anson jumped back to the top of the list in 2009 with 31 meth lab busts, well ahead of Wayne County, which came in second with 24 busts that year.

The county’s meth lab bust numbers dropped back into the teens from 2010 and 2011, but still had some of the highest numbers in the state. Anson logged 21 meth lab busts in 2012, ranking fifth. Wilkes County led the state with 59 busts that year.

Anson ranked third in the state with 30 meth lab busts in 2013. It was only behind Wilkes and Onslow counties, which had 50 and 46 busts, respectively.

Last year, Anson ranked fourth in the state while neighboring Richmond County ranked third.

Anson didn’t take long to make its first meth lab bust this year. Deputies arrested one man on meth charges Jan. 2.

Moody’s meth workshop was hosted by Connections Family Support and Community Collaboration Program.

Reach reporter Imari Scarbrough at 704-994-5471 and follow her on Twitter @ImariScarbrough.

Imari Scarbrough | Anson Record Special Agent Chris Moody with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation educated the public on the dangers and warning signs of methamphetamine during a March 22 seminar.
https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_SBI-SAC-Chris-Moody-Meth-workshop-fz.jpgImari Scarbrough | Anson Record Special Agent Chris Moody with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation educated the public on the dangers and warning signs of methamphetamine during a March 22 seminar.

By Imari Scarbrough

iscarbrough@civitasmedia.com

ANSON METH FACTS

  • The Wadesboro Walmart has the highest number of pseudoephedrine sales in North Carolina, according to SBI Special Agent Chris Moody.
  • The SBI found the first “one-pot” meth lab in the state in Anson in 2006.
  • Anson County led the state in meth lab busts in 2007 with 28 labs. It ranked first again in 2009 with 31 labs. Last year, Anson ranked fourth in the state.