Summit County, Ohio – Task Force Commanders throughout Ohio and surrounding states continue to note methamphetamine trafficking and usage. Targeting precursor chemicals used to manufacture meth has shown to reduce meth sites not only in Summit County but throughout Ohio as well. This is evidenced in Summit County by the following statistics.  In 2000, there were no seizures of clandestine methamphetamine lab sites.  In 2001, the Clandestine Methamphetamine Response Team dismantled 16 lab sites. In 2002, the team dismantled 22 lab sites.  In 2003, the team dismantled 60 clandestine lab sites. In 2004, the team dismantled 126 sites.  In 2005, the team dismantled 115 sites, and in 2006 the team dismantled 57 sites; a reduction just over 50 percent. During 2007, methamphetamine site discoveries have continued to decline, as the team located and dismantled 48 sites. The State of Ohio observed a reduction of approximately forty percent.

Health officials are researching the long-term physical and mental health effects of methamphetamine usage.  There are clear indicators that methamphetamine use can result in permanent cognitive damage, and physiological distress. Rehabilitation is a difficult, intense, long term process. Care providers report that recovery is limited to approximately ninety percent of the addicts former self.

From a task force perspective clandestine methamphetamine laboratory cases are extremely expensive, manpower intensive and pose a serious health risk to investigators and those officers charged with the dismantling of these sites.

The Definitions

Lab Site: A lab site contains the chemicals and apparatus required to manufacture methamphetamine. These sites may be active or inactive at the time of discovery. In any case a lab site would indicate use and chemical contamination should be suspected.

Box Lab: A box lab consists of the apparatus and chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine but it is in a stored state and generally not in use. These are often encountered in vehicles where they are in transit to an area where manufacturing will occur or returning from a manufacturing process to be stored until the next cook. They have also been found in residences, garages, storage facilities, and outbuildings. Because they have been utilized in illicit manufacture of methamphetamine contamination should be suspected.

Chemical Cache: A Chemical cache exists where a storage of chemicals used in the manufacture of methamphetamine are located. This may include solvents, acids, bases, pseudoephedrine products, and pseudoephedrine extraction. Chemical caches have been located in residences, vehicles, outbuildings, garages and anywhere where the chemicals can be stored out of view. Because the chemicals may have been used at a lab site contamination should be suspected.

Dump Site: A dump site is a location where methamphetamine manufactures throw away waste materials that have accumulated as a result of their activities. Dump sites may include apparatus, including gas generators, tanks used for the theft and storage of anhydrous ammonia, plastic tubing, filters, empty chemical containers, empty boxes of pseudoephedrine products, matchbooks and other hazardous lab wastes. Dump sites have been located in the front yard of residences, along roadways, in parks and playgrounds, and dumpsters of businesses where lab operators indiscriminately get rid of their lab wastes to maintain their clandestine operations. Due to the haphazard manner in which the labs are disposed the potential for chemical reactions at dump sites is extremely high.

Readers Note: All apparatus and or chemicals required to manufacture methamphetamine need not be present for the site to be categorized as a lab or box lab.

Holy Mother of Meth

The full list below spans over more than a decade’s worth of meth lab’s that have been dismantled all the way up until almost a year ago.  Some of which are still listed as active meth lab’s which really put’s into perspective just how big of an issue methamphetamine is in Northeast Ohio.

Download: FULL LIST, Summit County Meth Labs (Excel)

Disclaimer:  The Summit County Sheriff’s Office makes every effort to ensure the information regarding the methamphetamine labs below is current.  However, due to the fact that there may be on-going criminal investigations regarding the location of methamphetamine labs, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office makes no expressed or implied guarantee concerning the accuracy of this information. Changes may be made at any time and without notice.  The Summit County Sheriff’s Office assumes no liability for damages, directly or indirectly, as a result of errors, omissions or possible discrepancies.

Anyone who uses information contained in this database to commit a criminal act against another person is subject to criminal prosecution. If you have information regarding a methamphetamine lab, please contact the Summit County Drug Unit at (330) 643-2170.