Sniffing out meth labs

It's easy to hide the drug operations, but authorities have one advantage - the smell.

On a spring day two years ago, members of Berkeley County's "meth" team cautiously approached a rusty Winnebago in a country field.
Deputies suspected someone was inside cooking a batch of methamphetamine. But they needed a closer look.
Suddenly, a man confronted them, then ordered his chained dog to attack before running to destroy the load of toxic chemicals stored in his mobile lab.
When deputies finally got the man out, he dropped to the ground, babbling.
Hunting methamphetamine is a constant battle in the Lowcountry and in Berkeley County. Just like illegal alcohol stills from the last century, Berkeley's heavily wooded backcountry provides perfect cover for meth cookers.
One lab was even found in the swamp near the monks' retreat of Mepkin Abbey. The owner had divided his operation into three sites, spread far apart for better concealment.
Among the ingredients authorities found was anhydrous ammonia, a component used in fertilizers and explosives and an important part of the meth recipe.
"It was the most volatile type of lab you could have," said a deputy with the county's "Meth Squad." He and other deputies asked not to be identified for this story because of the dangerous nature of their work.
Cheap and locally made
Meth is considered a cheap and easy drug to manufacture. Even before the economy soured, meth had taken hold in Berkeley County. At least a dozen people, some members of the same families, are on the sheriff's list of suspected regular cookers, while many more are thought to be.
Plus, there are a slew of users and "smurfs" - slang given to the runners employed by cookers to travel to drug stores to buy up recipe ingredients, mainly drugs that contain ephedrine. Federal law has capped the sales of drugs or cold medicines containing ephedrine to 3.6 grams a day, or 9 grams every 30 days.
Berkeley Sheriff Wayne DeWitt said the county's size makes hunting for meth more difficult. At more than 1,000 square miles, the county is the state's largest in terms of total area and is comparable in size to the state of Rhode Island.
Deputies who chase meth labs insist Berkeley County's problem is not much different than anywhere else in South Carolina. The cheap startup cost to launch a lab, about $150 total for the ingredients and hardware, makes meth ideal for getting a foothold. The cooking process takes about four to six hours and a half-gram of the rock-shaped drug sells for $100.
Deputies follow their noses
Methamphetamine has been around for decades. It is a highly addictive stimulant that targets the central nervous system after being snorted, smoked or injected. It comes in various forms, such as powder, rock and crystal.
Berkeley officials reported busting up 11 labs last year, while 16 were destroyed in 2008. The Dorchester County Sheriff's Office said a combined 15 labs were uncovered there and in the town of Summerville last year. The Charleston County Sheriff's Office said it had only one lab bust in 2009. Some suspects have been arrested in more than one jurisdiction.
Law enforcement officials say that the odor produced by running meth labs is one of the best means of detection. The smell, they say, is like the odor of burning cat urine.
"That's our advantage," a Berkeley deputy said. "They can't cover that up."
But cookers try, sometimes burning tires or trash nearby in an attempt to mask the smell.
The costs associated with combating meth also can run high. Meth houses must be cleaned of the dangerous chemicals used to make the drug and cleared by health officials before anyone can move back in. That's especially troubling for apartment owners and hotels whenever their rooms are turned into impromptu lab sites.
Cars seized in busts are practically worthless as well, because of the contamination. Everything associated with a meth lab is a health hazard that has to be destroyed. So for evidence, prosecutors have to use written accounts and photographs.
"Meth costs are phenomenal, and you get nothing in return," an agent said.