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Meth lab tracked by cold
medicine sales |
By CHRISTOPHER BOBBY Tribune Chronicle
February 9, 2008
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WARREN — Sheriff Thomas Altiere said the ‘‘cooks’’ who were cooking up
methamphetamine on Cooks Lane in Bloomfield were tracked down through a
steady pattern of Sudafed bought at local drug stores.
Agents with the Trumbull-Ashtabula Group (TAG) Law Enforcement Task Force
enlisted the monitoring help of Niles police narcotics officers and others
with Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation in tracing the
route of the over-the-counter decongestant, Altiere said Friday. Due to its
use in the production of methamphetemine, many pharmacies require consumers
to sign a form when buying Sudafed.
The TAG agents raided the 2016 Cooks Lane home Thursday night, finding only
traces of meth but all the ingredients needed to manufacture the potent
drug, authorities said.
Altiere and Chief Deputy Ernest Cook III said undercover buys of the red
powder, known as ‘‘Red P’’ for red phosphorus and colored by iodine, had
been made over the last six months at the home owned by Gretchen K. Gifford,
35.
Gifford and her boyfriend, David E. Heath Jr., 30, of Andover, both were
charged with first-degree felony counts of illegal manufacture of drugs near
children as well as child endangering.
Meanwhile, Lance C. Palshook, 24, of Rome, who deputies said drove onto the
property while the the raid was being staged, was charged with the
third-degree felony of possession of chemicals for manufacture of drugs
after meth ingredients were found in his car.
All three suspects pleaded not guilty at their initial appearances Friday in
Newton Falls Municipal Court.
Judge Philip Vigorito set bond at $100,000 each for the couple and $50,000
for Palshook, and scheduled preliminary hearings on Thursday.
Gifford and Heath remained in Trumbull County Jail Friday night. Palshook
was released on bond at about 8:45 p.m. Friday.
Two children found in the house and believed to be contaminated by the
drugs, which can be absorbed through the skin, were decontaminated before
being turned over to relatives.
Gifford and Health also underwent decontamination Thursday by Trumbull
hazardous material team members as firefighters from Bloomfield and Bristol
stood by. The couple then were booked into the jail.
Ashtabula Sheriff’s Office Meth Response Team was on the scene assisting in
the cleanup and dismantling of the of the meth operation that can be
volatile since explosive ingredients are used in the recipe.
After all the commotion Thursday night, the rural Cooks Lane looked quiet
again on Friday. The only sign the raid had taken place was the yellow
police tape stretched across the front door.
Many neighbors declined to comment, saying only that they were surprised but
didn’t know much about the lab or people who lived there.
And according to Paula and Chris Saddler, who live in a home adjacent to the
one raided Thursday, that’s normal. They said they knew Gifford and the
children, but rarely talked to them. They could recall one time their
neighbors came to their yard sale and another time when their pet wandered
onto Gifford’s yard.
‘‘We only ran into them once in a while. We’d say ‘Hey, how’s it going?’’’
Paula Saddler said.
Chris Saddler said he was surprised the lab was so close, but he’s not
afraid for his safety. Police said Thursday that the home doesn’t pose a
threat to neighbors.
‘‘I’m not afraid,’’ he said. ‘‘I don’t do it in my house.’’
Reporter Bill Rodgers contributed to this report.
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