“Recipe for Meth” Among Evidence Found in Suspected Federal Meth Lab
7/23/15
Robbie Gonzalez
Investigators say evidence recovered from an explosion Saturday at the National Institute of Standards and Technology near Washington, D.C. is consistent with the production of methamphetamine. The evidence? “Pseudoephedrine, drain opener, and a recipe for methamphetamine.”
Pseudoephedrine, you may recall, is the methamphetamine reactant that Walter White is unable to procure in early episodes of Breaking Bad, prompting him to use the “precursor”methylamine in his cook, instead. Drain cleaner, too, is a common ingredient in the production of methamphetamine. And a recipe for meth is, presumably, exactly what it sounds like.
Here’s what we know so far:
The explosion happened Saturday, July 18th, around 7:30 p.m., in NIST Building 236. The small, “special projects” building is removed from many of the other facilities on the 578-acre NIST campus, and contains laboratories designed to conduct combustion research. The lab in which the explosion occurred was reportedly outfitted with a “blast shield” that flew some 25 feet when the room went boom. According to NIST spokeswoman Gail Porter, the lab was between experiments and therefore believed not to be in use.
No scientists or research projects were harmed by the explosion. However, and this is where things get interesting, an as-yet unnamed NIST police officer did suffer burns to his hands and arms during the blast. He was treated and later released from a local trauma center. A local NBC affiliate reports the officer resigned from his position the next day, Sunday, July 19th.
Police told local reporters they were investigating whether the explosion was related to a small-scale drug operation. Federal law enforcement sources (the DEA is working in collaboration with local police) have since told local reporters about the meth recipe and the ingredients that were found at the explosion site. The Associated Press has also reported that “Epsom salt and other materials associated with the manufacture of meth” were found in the lab. I’ve been unable to track down any information on the meth recipe or how investigators identified it as such. It’s safe to assume there are law enforcement experts who can recognize the chemical reactions required for meth’s synthesis?though you’ll forgive me for hoping that what investigators actually found was a sheet of paper, singed from the explosion, with the words “Recipe for Meth” printed across the top.
As of Tuesday evening, no charges had been filed against the erstwhile NIST officer.
“This is an open investigation. At this point, we’re not identifying anyone who may be involved,” said Capt. Paul Starks, a Montgomery police spokesman. “First, we have to look at all the circumstances and determine if what occurred rises to a criminal violation.”
We’ll keep you apprised of any updates.
Breaking bad at NIST
22 July 2015
By Juan David Romero
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) appears to have been the unwitting victim of a real-life Walter White, the meth-cooking chemistry teacher in the hit television show Breaking Bad. A weekend explosion at the federal laboratory’s Gaithersburg, Maryland, campus was linked yesterday to the production of methamphetamine, an illegal stimulant often “cooked” in home laboratories. Federal and local law enforcement agencies are now investigating how the explosion happened and whether a NIST security guard injured in the blast might have been involved.
“Just as in any investigation ? we’re interviewing possible witnesses and letting the evidence take us just where it should,” said Montgomery County Police Department spokesman Captain Paul Starks, who added that no charges have been filed and no suspects publicly identified.
On Saturday, 18 July, an explosion rocked the NIST campus around 6:45 p.m., injuring the security guard and sending the institute’s fire and police forces flocking to the scene, Starks said. The explosion happened at “special projects” building 236, a smaller facility with laboratories reserved for particularly hazardous research. According to NIST spokeswoman Gail Porter, the lab in question was not in use at the time of the incident, but was transitioning from combustion research to a new project.
The guard, who suffered non-life-threatening burns, resigned on 19 July, Porter said.
The Associated Press has reported that Epsom salts and other materials associated with meth production were found in the lab, whereas one local television news station quoted federal law enforcement sources saying that pseudoephedrine, drain opener, and a recipe for meth were also found. Citing the ongoing investigation?which is being carried out jointly by Montgomery County and the Drug Enforcement Agency?Starks said only that “some evidence” indicates that drugs such as methamphetamine were being manufactured. He would not confirm whether materials used for the creation of controlled substances were being stored on the property or brought onto the property.
Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman at the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, got involved today, expressing grave concern over the incident in aletter to Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. NIST is part of the Commerce Department.
“I am troubled by the allegations that such dangerous and illicit activity went undetected at a federal research facility. It is essential that we determine exactly where the breakdown in protocol occurred and whether similar activities could be ongoing at other federal facilities,” wrote Smith in an accompanying press release. He has requested a briefing with NIST no later than 29 July.
Posted in Chemistry, Policy
