With the deadly epidemic impacting the nation, it seems like the only drug we hear about lately is heroin. However, there's another dangerous problem police are seeing more of both in Western New York and across the state.Time Warner Cable News reporter Kaitlyn Lionti got a behind-the-scenes look Monday at how State Police respond to meth labs.
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- They are common products many people have in their home, but when you see them together, they should raise a red flag -- because they're the ingredients used to make methamphetamine.
It's becoming more popular thanks to what's called the "one pot method."
"It's very self-contained, most of the production takes place within one bottle, but the problem is, you've got this reaction taking place, the most abundant substance there is Coleman fuel, obviously that's flammable. What you've also got in there is stripped lithium from lithium batteries, if that gets exposed to moisture it's going to burn at over 2,000 degrees. So you've got lithium and Coleman fuel, if it gets exposed to oxygen and moisture, it could combust," said State Police Sgt. Nate Stobert.
Stobert is the team leader for the State Police Contaminated Crime Scene Emergency Response Team, or "CCSERT," in Western New York. They respond to calls about possible clandestine labs, and are trained to deal with whatever they might be.
"The first thing we'll do is make sure we can eliminate any hazards that pose a threat to the community and ourselves. After that's done, we'll process any evidence that's there. If it's determined there's criminal activity we'll try to capture anything that's needed for prosecution," said Stobert.
He said there's been a steady increase in cases the last few years. Troops A and E, which his team covers, had 41 meth labs last year, and 64 so far this year.
Stobert said by and large, people make it for themselves and their friends. "Some people may want to try this, and it may be something they do recreationally for a short time, but methampethamine it will grab right ahold of you, and it won't let you go and it becomes their purpose in life, is making meth."
When the team investigates, they don't know what stage the lab is in, so they have to be ready in case it's active.
"We have to make sure we have a clean air source, we have to make sure our bodies are producted both from a flash, a fire, and chemical hazards, so we really go over the top when it comes to our personal protective equipment," said Stobert.
He said when a one-pot is active, it'll be bubbling and reacting, and if the person making it doesn't relieve the pressure, "it can cause that vessel to burst."
"Then basically you have a molotov cocktail just exploding," he said. "We've responded to homes where the reaction has gone wrong, and someone hasn't been monitoring it and it's burned the house down, people drive around in their cars, so they won't get caught at home and it can happen in the car."
And meth labs produce a lot more hazardous waste than product, which can also be dangerous.
"A lot of the cases we've had in the last year have been for what were called 'dump sites,' bags of meth garbage on the side of the road that are still reacting," said Stobert.
He said sometimes they'll be smoking, or even start on fire.
"If they see something and they're not sure what it is, it doesn't look right to them, they find these bottles with a white sludge and liquid in it that's bubbling, back off and call the police," he said.