ROCK HILL, S.C. — Drug agents in York County are worried that a spike in meth labs could mean a growing problem with the dangerous drug. Narcotics officers have found three in the last two weeks.
"It looks like this year may be our banner year for meth labs," said Marvin Brown, commander of the county's drug unit.
The unit has busted 29 meth labs since 2010. Four of them were found in hotel rooms. Three of them exploded and injured people.
On Thursday night, drug agents spent hours dismantling another meth lab, after making an undercover drug buy earlier in the week.
Shannon Gregory, 33, and Steven Kilyanek, 28, were both charged with making and trafficking methamphetamine.
Drug agents said the couple was living in a shed behind a home on Hopewell Road in the Lesslie area of York County.
Agents gave Eyewitness News a picture of the inside of the small out building, and pictures of what they found including bottles of acetone, drain cleaner and packages of Sudafed, which is a main ingredient of meth. They also seized several bottles of the drug itself in liquid form.
Neighbors weren't aware of any drug activity, but did tell Channel 9 they often saw cars pulling onto the property at all hours of the night.
Last week, an alert shopper called police after noticing something odd in the parking lot of the Target store on Dave Lyle Boulevard in Rock Hill. Officers found a meth lab in the trunk of a car there.
Brown said the danger to people in the area from a possible explosion is very high.
"When it explodes it sounds like a bomb, and it explodes and it's a hot, chemical fire. It splashes and burns very quickly," he said.
This week, a bill was introduced in South Carolina to make Sudafed available only by prescription.
The bill would apply to drugs containing pseudoephedrine, a meth ingredient.
Supporters point to other states where similar laws have dramatically reduced meth lab cases.
However, opponents say making a common cold medicine a prescription drug would make it too expensive and require unnecessary doctor visits. The controversial bill has not yet reached a vote.
Local narcotics officers tell Channel 9 that something more needs to be done.
Several years ago, the state began monitoring sales of pseudoephedrine. Buyers were red-flagged if they purchased over a certain amount. However, drug agents said meth users are simply paying other people to buy Sudafed for them to avoid suspicion.
"The law has made an impact, but it hasn't solved our problem," Brown said.