Kershaw County Meth Lab Operator Receives 8 Year Prison Sentence

The Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office announced that on Wednesday, May 21st, a meth lab operator was sentenced to 8 years in prison for running a huge operation with the largest amount of meth lab waste the state has ever seen.

Lloyd Otis Sams, 40, pleaded guilty to charges of manufacturing methamphetamine, second offense, and violation of the hazardous waste act and simple possession of marijuana, second offense.

Sams and co-defendant Debra Page Grooms, 44, were arrested on April 20th after deputies with the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous complaint about a nearby meth lab in operation.

Narcotics officers went to the scene and found a meth lab in an outbuilding adjacent to a home on West Drive. Sams and Grooms had recently been evicted from the residence and were arrested when they returned to the meth lab during the search.

“In addition to the meth lab in the building, deputies discovered a mobile methamphetamine lab in their vehicle,” Sheriff Matthews said.

The two meth labs were the sixth and seventh meth labs discovered in Kershaw County this year alone, according to the sheriff.

Grooms received a sentence of 18 months’ probation for her role in the meth lab operation.

Matthews said the county will spend an estimated $10,000 to $12,000 to clean up the site. The lab seized was one of the largest meth labs in South Carolina narcotics clean-up history, with a massive amount of waste.

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.