HUNTERS' HELP SOUGHT IN DETECTING DRUG LABS

Deputies say outdoor enthusiasts can help authorities bag crystal
methamphetamine labs while hunting dove and deer in remote areas of
Effingham County this fall. Both active and abandoned makeshift labs have
been a growing concern to area lawmen. They pose dangers to humans and the
environment, Sheriff's Capt. Mike Bohannon said.

"Meth has been around for awhile in the West but now we are seeing more and
more labs in the South," Bohannon said. "The chemicals involved in the
process have a very strong odor, so the labs are usually set up in remote
areas. That makes Effingham County an ideal location because there are so
many remote areas here."

Authorities are hoping for assistance from hundreds of sportsmen and women
when they take to the woods in Effingham for dove season in early September
and deer season in mid-October.

Chemicals used for manufacturing methamphetamine are dangerous before and
after the drug is produced, making abandoned lab sites hazardous to people
who happen upon them.

Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie said certain products specific to the making of
methamphetamine can tip off a person to an abandoned site: large ephedrine
containers, lithium batteries that have been taken apart, ether cans,
compressed gas cylinders, LP gas containers, gas cans, and bottles with
plastic tubing.

Suspicious sites with strong odors should be avoided and reported to law
enforcement officials immediately.

"Do not touch, try to move or dispose of suspicious materials yourself,"
McDuffie warned.

Instead, residents should call the sheriff's office at 754-3349.