Mobile Meth Lab in Truck Highlights Growing Problem

On Friday, January 16th, Richland County officers arrested a man after finding a mobile meth lab in the trunk of his car.

Samuel Guilard, 47, was pulled over for speeding down Kelly Mill Road, according to official reports. However, deputies found marijuana and a gun inside the vehicle when they pulled Guilard over. When they searched the rest of the car, they found a mobile meth lab in the trunk.

Guilard is already a convicted felon. He was arrested on several gun and drug charges, including manufacturing meth, felon in possession of a firearm, and simple possession of marijuana. He was booked into the Richland County Jail.

More Meth Labs than Ever Found in Richland County in 2013

According to Sheriff Leon Lott, more meth labs than ever before were found across Richland County. In 2011, there were seven meth lab busts in Richland County; in 2013, there were twenty-three meth lab busts, more than triple the number just two years before. No one is sure how many meth labs are never discovered.

Meth lab chemicals are incredibly dangerous – they are flammable and pose a potential explosion hazard, and by-standers are also vulnerable to respiratory issues.

As more mobile meth labs are set up near homes or in hotel rooms, more people are vulnerable to exposure to these chemicals. In response to the growing problem, Sheriff Lott has pledged that the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, along with Richland County fire marshals and Emergency Services Personnel, have pledged that they will clearly mark spots that have housed meth labs to warn by-standers, and will also work to have the sites professionally cleaned.

Hotel meth labs are particularly bad, according to Sheriff Lott, because guests and staff are all at risk. Meth labs that do not get busted or reported could be left to staff members to clean up, and they may have no idea that they are cleaning up the remains of toxic chemicals. Now, the Richland County Sherriff’s Department has pledged to help with cleanup efforts to protect citizens.

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

Federal and State drug charges in South Carolina carry some of the stiffest penalties in the nation. When faced with a drug charge, including charges for operating a meth lab, you need a lawyer who knows how the system works and will fight to protect your rights.

With the rise of portable meth labs, which can manufacture a small amount of crystal meth in a soda bottle, drug criminals are becoming harder to catch. They leave evidence of their activities in the woods, in backyards, in homes that they do not own or live in, constantly. However, because these new forms of meth labs are so small, they do not have to babysit several reaction vessels and more often than not get away.

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.  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.