Man Held on Suspicion of Operating Meth Lab
A 47-year-old man was arrested Thursday for allegedly making methamphetamine at a motel in San Clemente.
Dwight Wagle was taken into custody about 2:20 a.m. at the Country Inn at 35 Calle de Industrias, said Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Hector Rivera.
“Wagle . . . arrived at the hotel at 11 [last night] and checked into a room,” Rivera said. “Shortly thereafter, he created a lab in the room and began producing or cooking methamphetamine.”
The Sheriff’s Department was tipped off, and deputies were sent to investigate. They said Wagle had made about a pound of methamphetamine, worth roughly $20,000 on the street, and was cooking a similar-sized batch.
The Orange County Fire Authority was summoned, and the Orange County Lab Enforcement team and hazardous-materials workers dismantled the lab, Rivera said.
Wagle was arrested on suspicion of a number of health and safety code violations related to illegal drug activity.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
