4 Suspected of Brewing Drug at Motel

Four people were arrested on suspicion of running a methamphetamine lab in a motel room by police who seized two gallons of ingredients and enough equipment to produce thousands of dollars worth of the drug, the Los Angeles Police Department said Friday.

Acting on a tip, police officers went to a room at the one-story El Royale, a motel in the 11100 block of Ventura Boulevard, at 11:30 p.m. Thursday.

There they detected the distinctive chemical odor of methamphetamine, also called “meth” or “speed,” said LAPD narcotics Det. Dave Nila.

Three people fled by jumping out of windows, but two were quickly apprehended, he said.

Police said a subsequent investigation led officers to two other people.

Arrested were Jedetiah Onderweizer, 31, of Sunland; Melody Steinke, 23, of Van Nuys; Nancy Shell, 42, of Van Nuys and Salvador DeLeon, 32, of Los Angeles.

All four were being held in the Van Nuys jail in lieu of $500,000 bail each.

The LAPD’s Hazardous Materials section also responded to the scene because of the toxic chemicals used to produce methamphetamine.

“This stuff is so toxic that it penetrates through the walls and carpets,” said Sgt. Michael Linder, one of the arresting officers.

Methamphetamine is a stimulant derived from ingredients that must be cooked for hours.

A pound of meth crystals has a street value of about $7,000, he said.

Unlike a cocaine or heroin high that can last from a few minutes to a few hours, a meth high can last as long as a day.

Habitual meth users, also called “tweaks,” often suffer from symptoms that include sleeplessness, paranoia and jangled nerves.

Nila said small portable meth labs have become ubiquitous in Los Angeles.

Baldwin Park police raided another meth lab in their city Wednesday night. Small producers often move their labs from place to place to escape arrest.

Larger-scale meth production is carried out in rural areas where producers can run electric generators and the noxious fumes can go undetected.

“You have to be pretty brazen to cook in the city because the smell is so strong,” said Linder.

One of the men arrested Friday had been released on bail from a drug possession charge last month, said Linder, who did not identify him.

“He had been arrested for selling meth,” he said. “He bailed out before we had made our arrest report.”