GARDEN GROVE : Suspected Drug Lab Found in Apartment

Authorities raided an apartment Tuesday evening and discovered a working methamphetamine lab inside, the Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday.

The two-story apartment, in the 13000 block of Fairview Street in an unincorporated area near Garden Grove, and an attached garaged were filled with equipment used to produce the drug, also known as speed or crank, said Sheriff’s Sgt. Tim Carney.

Also found were about 33 gallons of a solution that might contain methamphetamine. If so, Carney said, the street value of the substance would be at least $100,000.

No one was inside the apartment at the time of the raid, and no arrests have been made.

“We believe that the apartment was rented out two months ago for the sole purpose of producing the drug and not to live in,” Carney said.

Carney said that although these types of labs are often set up in industrial areas or warehouses, it is not unusual to find them in a house or apartment.

“Basically, they want to avoid detection in an apartment,” he said. “But it is a rather callous thing to do, because you are dealing with volatile chemicals that could easily create an explosion or fire. There are definite safety concerns.”

The raid was conducted by sheriff’s narcotics officers who were assisted by the state Department of Justice’s Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement.

A search warrant was obtained after sheriff’s deputies were called to the apartment complex Sunday night and became suspicious. Carney would not elaborate on what led authorities to return with a search warrant.