A rolling meth lab is a transportable laboratory used for the illegal production of methamphetamine

Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...

. Rolling meth labs are often readily moved to a secluded location to be unpacked to synthesize the drug, such as in a public park, or sometimes set up to render the drug while the lab is traveling in a vehicle. This is done to avoid detection when the methamphetamine is being manufactured as strong toxic fumes are given off from the process, which could easily be detected in a residential area. Also, the toxic waste that remains after the synthesis of the drug can be dumped along the roadside or discarded in a forested area.

Transportation hazard

The process of "cooking" methamphetamine can be dangerous. The various chemicals often used are not only poisonous, but also flammable and explosive. In November 2001, a rolling meth lab carrying anhydrous ammonia exploded on Interstate 24 in southwest Kentucky. This prompted law enforcement to shut down the freeway, which backed up for miles. Such incidents have not only injured the meth producers, but have injured passing motorists and police officers, who are also exposed to dangerous fumes.

Toxic effects and dangerous remnants

As with a home lab, the remaining fumes from a crude moving methamphetamine lab can be extremely toxic. The surfaces of the vehicle's interior can be coated or impregnated with the poisonous residue, rendering a vehicle virtually worthless. Vehicles stolen for the single purpose of manufacture of the drug are most often considered contaminated and unusable: Exposure to the by-products of the chemical reaction remaining in the vehicle is frequently too dangerous. A further complication is that the "cooking" methods for meth frequently change, so the proper remediation for a given lab site cannot be assumed from previous known lab methods. Law enforcement Hazmat

Hazmat

Hazmat, HazMat and similar terms can refer to:* Hazardous materials and items—see Dangerous goods** Hazchem—a system of hazardous chemical classification and firefighting modes** A hazmat suit is a type of protective clothing...

 teams assigned to dispose of the toxic materials must use caution and receive training on a regular basis.

Law enforcement and detection

Rolling meth labs can be concealed on or in vehicles as large as 18 wheelers

Semi-trailer truck

A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or articulated truck or articulated lorry, is an articulated vehicle consisting of a towing engine , and a semi-trailer A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) articulated truck...

, or transported on something as small as a motorcycle

Motorcycle

A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

. These labs are more difficult to detect than stationary ones, and can be often hidden among legal cargo on big trucks. Many recent rolling lab discoveries were the result of an officer just "stumbling" onto them. Improved officer training and the use of police K-9 units for checking suspicious vehicles may allow increased detection.

Indicators

• Jars containing a clear liquid, with a white or red colored solid coating the bottom, with rubber tubing attached
• A large number of cans of paint thinner, lye, acetone, lighter fluid, and drain cleaners or acid
• Strong smell of urine or unusual chemical smells such as ether, acetone, or ammonia
• Coffee filters containing a white pasty substance, a dark red paste, or small amounts of shiny white crystals
• Glass cookware or stove pans containing a powdery residue

See also

• Methamphetamine - Illicit production
• Drug abuse
  Drug abuse
  Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
  
  
• Drug addiction
• War on Drugs
  War on Drugs
  The War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention being undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade...
  
  

External links

• Rolling Meth Lab Found; 1 Charged, FoxCarolina.com (with available video)
• Police Stop “Rolling” Meth Lab, WKRG.com
• Walk Your Land Program Educates Landowners On Methamphetamine Production, University of Kentucky
  University of Kentucky
  The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
  
  - College of Agriculture
• Covington police nab couple with drugs in 'rolling meth lab' nola.com - New Orleans Metro Crime and Courts News