Meth Lab Results In Apartment Evacuation
ATLANTA - On August 31, 2015, the U.S. Drug Enforcement (DEA), Atlanta Field Division and the Sandy Springs Police Department Special Investigations Unit served a search warrant on suspected methamphetamine traffickers at 6900 Roswell Rd, Apartment Q9, Sandy Springs.
Upon entry, special agents and officers found an extremely dangerous environment which included an active methamphetamine conversion lab with flammable solvents cooking on the stove. In addition to the flammable solvents cooking on the stove, there were numerous burning (open flame source) being used to mask the chemical smell of the meth lab. Special agents and officers immediately evacuated the residents of the apartment building until the dangers of the illegal methamphetamine lab could be mitigated.
The search warrant resulted in the seizure of 67 pounds of methamphetamine, 15 gallons of methamphetamine in solution which would produce approximately 59 additional pounds of meth, and the arrest of four defendants. Arrested at the scene were Juan Francisco Martinez-Nunez, Salvador Ivan Alonso-Mendoza, Diego Ivan Parra, and Ismael Martinez-Anallo. The defendants were booked into the Fulton County Jail and charged with reckless endangerment and trafficking in methamphetamine.
“The defendants in this investigation demonstrated a reckless disregard for human life and their illegal actions put their neighbors, to include children, in extreme danger, ” stated John Murphy, DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge. “In addition to keeping 126 pounds of meth from hitting the streets of our community, this joint enforcement action by DEA and the Sandy Springs Police Department eliminated a volatile illegal meth lab that posed a substantial danger for fire or explosion which could have resulted in the loss of life and property.”
“This case is a great example of the importance of working with our federal partners on a daily basis,” said Ken DeSimone, Chief of the Sandy Springs Police Department.
The DEA encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.justthinktwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov.