Kershaw County Meth Lab Bust Has Greatest Amount of Waste in SC

On Easter Sunday, two people were arrested in a meth lab bust, which may hold the record for greatest amount of meth lab waste in the state.

Officers in Kershaw County responded to complaints about a possible meth lab on Sunday. A meth lab was housed in an outbuilding adjacent to a home off of West Drive, which the two arrested suspects had been evicted from.

Meth lab suspects Debra Page Grooms, 44, and Lloyd Otis Sams, 40, were arrested for running the meth lab when they returned as officers searched the property. Kershaw police also found a portable meth lab in the pair’s vehicle.

The Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office also said that officials from the meth lab clean-up crew said that this meth lab had produced the most toxic waste by weight of any other meth lab in the state. Initial clean-up cost estimates put the meth lab in the $10,000-$12,000 range.

“This is the sixth meth lab seized this year in Kershaw County,” Sheriff Matthews said. “Methamphetamine and methamphetamine manufacturing is a growing problem in our state and country. We will be relentless in addressing this crime before it gets out of control.”

Both Grooms and Sams have been arrested on narcotics charges before.

The Rise of Meth Labs in South Carolina

Statistics from 2000 show that South Carolina had one of the lowest rates of methamphetamine use in the country.

However, those numbers are changing as meth labs become more portable, and meth manufacturers become more savvy. Between 2007 and 2011, incidents of busted meth labs increased more than 10 times – 26 in 2007, to 267 in 2011. News reports show meth lab busts in some part of South Carolina nearly every week.

Two years ago, South Carolina lawmakers attempted to stop the fast-growing trend by placing limits on the amount of pseudoephedrine customers can purchase, and pharmacists – who keep the drug behind counters – swipe the customer’s driver’s license to see if limits have been met. Electronic tracking should, in theory, stop meth manufacturers from buying large amounts of the necessary chemical.

However, the portable meth labs use less of the drug by creating smaller amounts of methamphetamine.

All meth labs use dangerous, deadly chemicals, and are prone to explosions – even the portable ones. In the shake and bake method, manufacturers must constantly unscrew the lid of the bottle to relieve pressure. When not monitored closely, the bottles can explode, spraying dangerous chemicals everywhere.

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Meth Lab Drug Crimes Charges

The drug crime attorneys at Strom Law Firm, LLC will aggressively defend your case whether you are under investigation or have been arrested for drugs in all State and Federal Courts in South Carolina as well as the Federal Courts in Georgia. Drug cases, including meth lab busts, need to be examined from every angle, and in many cases are subject to mandatory minimum sentences. Aggressive representation can protect your future. Drug crime charges and drug busts in South Carolina are very serious. If you have been charged with possession, trafficking, or manufacturing drugs, the attorneys at the Strom Law Firm can help. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss the facts of your case, so contact us today by calling (803)252-4800.