Huge Meth Lab Busted in Saluda County

Saluda County Sheriff’s officers busted a large clandestine meth lab in an abandoned barn on Wednesday, January 22nd.

According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, Paul Preston Quattlebaum, Jr, was arrested for running a meth lab in the barn. This is not his first charge for operating a meth lab – last year, he was arrested on similar charges, pleaded guilty, and received a 15 year sentence, suspended to 3 years’ probation.

Reportedly, deputies were called to a neighboring property after a reported theft of scrap metal. The property owner saw Quattlebaum steal the metal, and chased him, but Quattlebaum escaped in a red Ford truck. Narcotics officers were monitoring radio traffic about the incident and knew where Quattlebaum might be due to recent complaints about a potential meth lab in the abandoned barn.

Officers obtained a search warrant and went to the barn, where they found a huge meth lab in operation. They seized 254 grams of meth, along with 120 bottles and 250 pounds of meth waste. Field tests confirmed that the white powdery substance the officers encountered was meth.

Quattlebaum was taken into custody.

Two Mobile Meth Labs Busted Elsewhere in the State

The Cayce Department of Public Safety arrested three people after they were spotted with an active mobile meth lab in their vehicle.

Brandi M. Joiner, 25, James W. Gleaton, 28, and Rodney L. Williamson, 33, face charges including shoplifting and manufacturing methamphetamines.

According to police reports, Cayce police responded to a shoplifting call from the Dollar General on Charleston Highway on Thursday, January 23rd. Officers were given a description of the suspects as well as their car, which witnesses saw leaving the premises.

Officers found the car by conducting a traffic stop and they noticed that smoke was being emitted from a container inside the vehicle.

“Upon further investigation officers discovered a rolling methamphetamine lab in production causing the smoke and fumes,” Lt. J.S. Simmons with the Cayce Department of Public Safety said. “Officers of the Cayce Methamphetamine Lab Removal Team and SLED were summoned to the scene to gather evidence and dispose of the materials by proper means.”

The three suspects were transported to the Lexington County Detention Center where they await a bond hearing for their charges of shoplifting and manufacturing methamphetamines.

In Lexington, a woman was also arrested on Thursday afternoon for operating a mobile meth lab.

Stefanie Renee Head, 30, of Gaston, was arrested by officers from the Lexington Multi-Agency Enforcement Team who responded to a call about suspicious activity in a truck on Ballpark Road. The deputy who responded to the call found Head sitting in the front passenger seat of a green Mazda truck. The officer searched the truck and found a clear plastic bottle, along with several other items, that indicated she was operating a mobile meth lab out of the vehicle.

Head was arrested for manufacturing methamphetamines and transported to the Lexington County Detention Center to await a bond hearing.

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Drug Crimes Charges for Meth Labs

Drug crime charges and meth lab busts in South Carolina are very serious. If you have been charged with possession, trafficking, or manufacturing drugs, including manufacturing at a meth lab, 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.