Some Guy Is Running A Meth Lab Upstairs!

[Changing4Best]

I thought it was terrorizing to live in a building where the maintenance guy has a key to every apartment and that he and I don't get along. However, now there seems to be a guy upstairs that we other tenants believe is running a meth lab! And that means he could blow all of us sky high if his lab explodes! He is stinking up the whole building with his chemicals and the burning of them every night. My neighbors called the authorities yesterday to report him. We just hope and pray that they arrest him before he blows us all up to Kingdom come!!! Your prayers, warm thoughts and caring comments are welcome.

 

[J_trustno1]

Shit!!! This is scary. I'd also be panicking. Can you contact the police?

 

[Changing4Best]

The authority that was contacted yesterday by one of my neighbors is above and more powerful than the police. They are like the FBI, only responsible for our whole state instead of the whole country. We know it will take time for them to investigate this, in order to get a viable arrest which would lead to conviction. Otherwise his wealthy mob connected bosses would just bail him out and he would be back in "business" the next day!

 

[J_trustno1]

This is scary and crazy. I really hope you feel safe. I'm sorry that you have to deal with this. My best wishes are with you.

 

[Neverthesame]

Dear god, thats terrifying.

I don't understand how it is that police are not able to enter the residence upon suspicion of a meth lab. While I understand that the police want to collect as much evidence as they can, so they can attemp to fry a bigger fish. But in a situation such as this, where you have innocent people living directly above and below the suspected meth lab.

Police are allowed to enter a home without a warrant if there is probable cause, ie someone's life in in immediate danger.

One would think living next to a bomb, would qualify as immediate danger. If possible I would recommend that you get out of that place if at all possible, the fumes emitted from the lab are not just highly flammable, they are also highly toxic. For example, the cook has to boil anhydrous ammonia with a bunch of other chemicals that are just as nasty. You really don't want to be breathing that in.

Which reminds me, does this guy own a rather large supply of propane tanks? The reason I ask is, propane tanks are often how the ammonia is transported and stored.

Wish I could be more helpful. What a crappy situation to be pulled into.

(Edit) Bumped the post message button by accident, while I was only half way through writing this post. Third time this week I've done that :banghead:

 

[fellowsufferer]

This must be a really stressfull time for you. I hope you and your other good neighbors can comfort one another.
My heart goes out for you, that you are having so much difficulties in your one home (that is suppose to be a safe place).
I hope they put him in jail for a long enough time, and the peace can come back to your appartmentbuilding.

 

[Friday]

It's very easy to test and see if the chemicals are actually in the air. If your upstairs neighbor is law enforcement, I can't imagine that hasn't been done immediately (and also shown negative, at least at the moment, as they're extremely toxic... Or he/she would not still be there). So my deepest hope for you is that you either have a crazy cat person upstairs (as cat urine is one of the things often mistaken for a meth lab), or an artist (soldering or kiln work, another often mistaken thing for phosphorus), or foodie (kimchee being a 3rd commonly mistaken smell).

 

[Casey_03]

Maybe this is a stupid idea, but has anyone thought of just knocking on the guy's door to see if maybe there is another explanation? It would obviously be a huge relief if it turned out the guy had some other reason for the smell .... might solve this all quicker than if you wait for authorities to conduct an investigation. That is, unless you do discover a meth lab up there.

 

[Neverthesame]

@Casey_03 I would't recommend that. Meth addicts can be extremely paranoid and often violent. It is very likely that he a gun, he may also have the place riddled with booby traps (I wish I was kidding), razor blades on commonly touched surfaces, shotgun placed behind a door with a string around the trigger, which is tied to the door (again, I wish was kidding). It is also possible that he may be startled by the knocking, tip over some chemicals and cause the building to explode.

It's also entirely liklely that the actuall lab setup is going to be in a place where it cannot be seen from the front door.

 

[Anarchy]

I used to know a guy who did the forensic science end after drugs lab busts.

If it is any reassurance to you @ShielaKathy, I'd be very surprised if it was a meth lab, the guys who cook meth are much more likely to go for a cabin or trailer, way out in the woods, where the smell is likely to disperse before it gets noticed.

I agree that the strong reducing agents used to cook meth are a significant fire risk, but I would doubt that anyone with sufficeint brains and competance to do the cooking would be stupid enough to do it up stairs - where their route of escape from a fire could be restricted.

This perhaps isn't the place, but let's have some sympathy for those who feel the need to self medicate on this stuff.

There are hundreds of thousands of children who get forcibly medicated (Ritalin is an amphetamine) in the day prisons which get called "schools". When they get to 18, their parents insurance stops paying for what they have become dependant on.

The very people who are being called upon in this case, are the ones who are responsible for making sure that those youngsters who have had their forced supply cut off at 18, cannot buy from reputable sources, like a high street pharmacy. They also make sure that the people who do supply those kids needs, cannot operate from normal factory units, but have to operate in stealth mode.

I also find it disgusting that the state sector thugs are simply biding their time, gathering info for a bust, rather than protecting the safety of ShielaKathy and her neighbours. Arguably the state sector thugs are the ones who are more paranoid, more heavily armed and the far greater risk to the other residents of the building.

The sooner prohibition ends, the better for all of us

 

[scout86]

Here's hoping that the maintenance man is in on the deal and they take him out of your life too!

I'd tend to agree that it's an unlikely location, but you never know. What I DO know is that special clean up is required for former meth labs. To the extent that my state requires their presence (past presence) be disclosed during real estate transactions. So the buyer is aware of the issues that come with purchasing such a property.

 

[Anarchy]

What I DO know is that special clean up is required for former meth labs. To the extent that my state requires their presence (past presence) be disclosed during real estate transactions. So the buyer is aware of the issues that come with purchasing such a property.

Oh hell yes,
It's a slightly different situation, and apologies for the ot nature, but one of my former colleagues was putting in a tender to investigate the contamination left by a diesel laundering site allong the border between the republic of and northern Ireland. I can't remember whether it was part of the north you could only get to through the republic, or vice versa.

The paramilitary thugs operate plants to wash the dye out of diesel fuel that is intended for non highway uses, like farm tractors and construction plant. They then sell it on more expensive than the coloured stuff, but cheaper than the non dyed, taxed stuff (current tax is about UK£0.75 /litre or approx US$3 / US Gallon! ), This denies the really big gangs (that currently call themselves governments) lots of money. but there's so much money to be made that the smaller gangs just don't give a damn about the mess they leave behind.

The site that my colleague wanted to do the work on had belonged to the brother of one of the guys wanted for the Omagh bombing. Yikes!

I told him that I like my knee caps just the way they are, and if he wanted me to go there, I'd take sick leave...