Friendly neighborhood Meth Lab

[Carmel]

Id like some opinion on this....

Everyone please try to be objective and give your thoughts on what you would do in this situation.

I am almost 99% certain that a neighbor of mine is running a meth lab.  They arent my neighbor proper, but they are down the street and a block over from me.  We live in an unrestricted neighborhood, so the lots are usually very large acerage and its very private.  I have been obeserving the place for several years now and I would be willing to bet my right tit that they have an operation going on in there.  The house is very dilapidated and the yard is always in shambles.  They have several scrawly pit-bulls out in the yard at any given time. This description could fit any old place, but Ill tell you why I think its something more.  The windows are all covered over with heavy material, sometimes boards....they change them every few months or so.  One window on the side of the house stays open all year round, rain or shine and its not broken. There is always huge piles of trash in the yard that they are in a perpetual state of cleaning up and burning, usually only at night.  There seems to be one young man who lives there, and possibly one older gentleman.  The real kicker is the flux of visitors, almost always in groups and almost never the same people or vehicles twice in a row.  They are usually always hanging around by the front gate, or in the yard, and they come and go at all hours.

The younger kid seems to be mid-20s, and looks like something has been eating him from the outside.  His skin is always horrible and he is always dirty or in dirty clothes.

I am not one to call the cops or be a snitch.  But I do worry about the level of danger that one of those deals can present.  If it were to blow up or start leaking some nastiness into the air.  There are alot of families on that street with little ones and it just really bothers me to think something might happen.  Sometimes the people who show up at night there park in the middle of the road or in the oncoming traffic lane, I almost hit a car parked in front of their house in the wrong lane. Its very dark on our streets.

I know I cant be the only one who notices these things, and there is a Harris County Sherriff who lives three houses down from them.  

Would it be fair to at least bring up the issue to the HOA? At least find out if anyone else is concerned rather than trying to get them busted or something?

I know Ill get shit for this, but I am genuinely concerned with the safety issue.  They can snort and huff all they please, but this borders putting others in danger.

[Antigen]

Well, I think the ultimate answer to the problem is the same hated one that solved a similar problem with rampant bootlegging years ago. It was no different in any major respect. Stills sometimes blow up. Deals sometimes go bad and violent. And many people died or were maimed by drinking "bathtub gin" during the other prohibition.

The hated, despised, immediately rejected answer to the overall problem is to turn the production and trade in currently illicit drugs back over to the legal, licensed producers and distributors who handled the business before we made it an insurmountable law enforcement problem.

The immediate answer? Probably nothing, but here's what I'd try. Have you got a dog or any other excuse to casually run into the cop? Odds are pretty good that he knows what's going on. Whether he's doing an extremely long term steak out as part of a sting operation (yeah, right?) or he's skimming some profits, just ask him something like "Gee, that place is really getting run down and I'm not sure they're taking care of the dogs.." and watch his reaction. Either way, it may clue him in to the fact that people are noticing and he may take some action. You just don't want to be seen talking to the cop prior to some bad news.

for it is a truth, which the experience of all ages has attested, that the people are commonly most in danger when the means of insuring their rights are in the possession of those of whom they entertain the least suspicion.    
--Alexander Hamilton

[Anonymous]

In the 90's there was a meth manufacturer
down the alley from me.

I had just moved in and noticed the traffic
and the Charles Manson looking renter and
his dubious guests. It was only a month later
when the police came down in 5 unmarked
cars and busted him.

Two of the cars parked behind my house, some
neighbors came out to talk to them. They asked
why the activity wasn't stopped before, and
that it was obvious to all in the neighborhood.

The police said that they go by a point system,
depending on how busy they are.

Obviously if it is a crime on a person, they
respond immediately.

If it is suspicion of drug dealing, they get
a lot of those and it has to be investigated
correctly to gather evidence.

In our neighborhood they sent in a narc to buy
drugs from the guy, and eventually arrested
him after collecting as much collateral information as possible.

So, to make this long story short, the police
have to be notified.

If you are too concerned to call and have your
number recorded, then I would type up the letter
and mail it to them.

Wait, see if there is any police activity after
a month or so, then decide your next move.

Or, better yet, if you keep a week's worth of
chronological activity and mail it to them,
then it will help them acertain the severity
of the problem.

[Antigen]

One other thought. Prohibition places law enforcement in a round room and instructs them to piss in the corner. Sometimes, the best a good cop can do is to pick producers and distributors who are less problematic than others and leave them alone while concentrating on the really bad guys.

It may very well be that this particular operation is well known to the cop just three doors down and they like it that way. You know very well that busting the guy will not reduce the supply by one ounce. He'll be replaced. And the new guy might be more prone to violence, less careful in his chemistry and not at all inclined to keep the kids out of it. In other words, this guy may by part of the best solution available to us till we can repeal some very bad policies.

Ardent advocates of prohibition were obsessed by a zeal that bordered on fanaticism. They supported politicians who voted to outlaw liquor, no matter how much of it they privately consumed, and spurned politicians who voted against prohibition, no matter how sober they were personally.
http://www.ncpoliticalreview.com/1101/Ervin/cohen.htm' target='_new'>Sen. Sam Ervin, Preserving The Constitution

[BuzzKill]

Try reporting them to the zoning commission (running a business in a residentional neighborhood; proven by the traffic you describe) or file a complaint with the health department. You've seen rodents or noticed a smell. You can even report the dog poop has piled up, and they will do an inspection.
This might serve to get the "authorities" involved and also give fair warning to your neighbors before the cops come in on it.
The other agencies will be the ones filing the complaint of a meth lab with the cops - not you.
And your complaint to the zoning commission or the health dept should be anonymous.

[Dr Fucktard]

Give me their address and we'll take care of them for you.

[Carmel]

On 2005-11-28 08:59:00, Antigen wrote:

"Well, I think the ultimate answer to the problem is the same hated one that solved a similar problem with rampant bootlegging years ago. It was no different in any major respect. Stills sometimes blow up. Deals sometimes go bad and violent. And many people died or were maimed by drinking "bathtub gin" during the other prohibition.



The hated, despised, immediately rejected answer to the overall problem is to turn the production and trade in currently illicit drugs back over to the legal, licensed producers and distributors who handled the business before we made it an insurmountable law enforcement problem.



The immediate answer? Probably nothing, but here's what I'd try. Have you got a dog or any other excuse to casually run into the cop? Odds are pretty good that he knows what's going on. Whether he's doing an extremely long term steak out as part of a sting operation (yeah, right?) or he's skimming some profits, just ask him something like "Gee, that place is really getting run down and I'm not sure they're taking care of the dogs.." and watch his reaction. Either way, it may clue him in to the fact that people are noticing and he may take some action. You just don't want to be seen talking to the cop prior to some bad news.

for it is a truth, which the experience of all ages has attested, that the people are commonly most in danger when the means of insuring their rights are in the possession of those of whom they entertain the least suspicion.    
--Alexander Hamilton

"

I agree with you on this. Ultimately...that is the answer I think.  I am just at a loss on what to do about it on a local level.  Our Homeowners Association is currently working on implementing limited restrictions in the area.  We have a "Dog Guy" stockpiling labrador retrievers and another land owner wanting to sublet his property as mobile home parcels, so they have begun discussing some sort of guideline.  If that happens it would be much easier to confer with others on the place in question and possibly get certain deed restrictions enforced that would hamper the operations.  Something like not beign able to board up windows or doors.

[Anonymous]

I'd be more concerned about the missing pizza delivery guys.

[Anonymous]

I would refrain from calling the police. It's a can of worms I would not want to open. I'm not sure at what distance the meth fumes would be dangerous, but if they would only be harmful to the people in the house well I'd sit back and let nature take it's course. If you feel compelled to call the police do it from a payphone.

[Anonymous]

On 2005-11-28 09:24:00, Antigen wrote:
You know very well that busting the guy will not reduce the supply by one ounce. He'll be replaced.

"

Easy for you to say if you don't live there.

Especially with kids around.

I disagree, we are not on this planet forever,
why should one neighborhood suffer because the
what if ... may be worse.

The only guarantee that one has is not reporting
either by phone call from home, anonymous phone
call from a phone booth, or an anonymous letter -
is nothing will happen.

If it is reported there is a chance that the problem in your neighborhood, around your family,
will be resolved.

Doing nothing will bring the same results.

---

Sorry your dilema sucks, but it does ...

---

Our neighborhood became so friendly after
the Charled Manson looking meth dude was
gone it was fantastic!

Try getting rid of the, I am sure you will
not regret the relief you will receive.

---

Regarding retribution?

They are paranoid anyway ...

Who knows who they will pick on?

Just get rid of them ...

[Anonymous]

Antigen,
" Repeal some very bad policies???"
Are you suggesting that meth be legalized?
I would be curious to know if you have ever personaly known someone who has been addicted to meth.

[Carmel]

On 2005-11-30 06:03:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Antigen,

" Repeal some very bad policies???"

Are you suggesting that meth be legalized?

I would be curious to know if you have ever personaly known someone who has been addicted to meth."

I have never known anyone addicted, however, Meth being illegal doesnt actually determine whether or not people get addicted or use it....does it? I dont like it being in my neighborhood, but making it illegal surely hasnt solved mine or anyone elses problems.

Ginger is suggesting that it be legalized so that it might be REGULATED, and we wont have mom and pop closet labs blowing up and emitting fumes.  You dont see anyone brewing moonshine anymore and poisioning people with bad batches.  The actual usage of alcohol is irrelevent. We have already learned the legitimacy of making something illegal or a crime.

I dont want freak-o-rama brewing meth under the radar in my neighborhood. And if repealling policies is the answer...get to it!  People are going to use regardless.

[Antigen]

On 2005-11-30 06:03:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Antigen,

" Repeal some very bad policies???"

Are you suggesting that meth be legalized?

I would be curious to know if you have ever personaly known someone who has been addicted to meth."

Sure! And you have too, I bet, if you're over about 30 years old. But you probably didn't know they were meth addicts. Hell, if you know any Navy or Air Force vets, you probably know some fine, upstanding meth users. They still use the stuff in the military, ya' know. They call them "go pills". And they still use some sort of downers, too, which they call "no go pills". They can be somewhat problematic at times. Remember a couple of years ago when our guys mistook a platoon of Canadians for an enemy target and blew them off the map in Afghanistan? That's one of the down sides to legal, supervised use of meth as a performance enhancing drug. No joke at all.

But, as Carmel notes (and we're not alone), when you take away the plethora of problems created by prohibition, we're left with relatively manageable problems. Most people don't even know that metho was only moved to SchedII in the `80's. Prior to that, it was much easier for truckers and grad students to obtain regent quality meth at reasonable prices and w/o having to confess to a crime in the event they needed professional help and advice regarding it's use.

Has prohibition improved the situation in any way? None that I know of.

So yes, I'm not only suggesting but shouting from the highest mountain that we grow the fuck up, get over our collective puritanical temper tantrum about the use of certain drugs and return to the policies that worked so well for us before the stepcraft practitioners hijacked our public policy.

You don't get everything you want. A dictatorship would be a lot
easier.
--GW Büsh, Governor of Texas. Governing Magazine, 7/98

[Anonymous]

BBBBUUUUMMMMPPPP.....

[SHH Anon Classics]

Whether or not Meth is illegal is besides the point. Meth addiction is a horrible thing.