Web poll, signs of a meth lab
AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Five children ranging from ages 2 to 8 were found inside a home with methamphetamine. Amarillo Police Narcotics Unit served a search warrant early Wednesday evening, that resulted in the arrests of two adults.
Around 80 grams of meth valued at $6,500 was found inside in the home at 1223 S. Roberts #207. Police arrested Juan Diego Madrid, 33, and Destiny Garcia, 27. Madrid was booked and charged with manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance over 4 but under 200 grams, and Garcia was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. Both suspects were also charged with endangering a child, and have been booked into the Potter County Jail.
Meth use doesn't just harm the individuals who abuse it, it is also dangerous for those living in or near the labs. Investigation Discovery reports that some of the ingredients used to make meth are highly volatile, and the production process is extremely dangerous for everyone involved. The by-products used to create the highly addictive drug can be toxic and are extremely explosive. Every pound of methamphetamine produced can yield up to five pounds in toxic waste.
According to researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, meth use by parents can have long lasting effects on the children putting them in very high risk for mental health and substance-abuse disorders. The study also found situations of profound neglect and abuse, physical danger resulting from in-house manufacture of the drug, and parents teaching their children criminal behavior and a paranoid distrust of authority.
Some of the common ingredients in methamphetamine are:
Starting fluid (ether)
Paint thinner
Freon
Acetone
Anhydrous ammonia
Iodine crystals
Red phosphorous
Brake cleaner (toluene)
Drain cleaner (sodium hydroxide)
Battery acid (sulfuric acid)
Reactive metals (sodium or lithium)
Cold tablets containing pseudoephedrine
