Voice Of Post

Wal-Mart meth lab, A portable methamphetamine lab was recovered in a Walmart this week, thanks to the watchful eyes of one Walmart employee. Although it was not unusual to see unique, strange, or suspicious people in the giant discount store in Muncie, Indiana, it was strange to see a man with a backpack enter and restroom and exit without it.

The Washington Post reported March 13 that when authorities were alerted to a "suspicious backpack" at the Muncie Walmart, Indiana State Police troopers entered the restroom where the item was left and found "an active meth lab inside," a release from the state police said. “Members of the team donned their protective respirators and suits and dismantled the lab, removing the chemicals from the premises.”

A Indiana State Police Meth Suppression Team removed the dangerous chemicals from the Walmart after Delaware County Health Department inspectors closed the restroom and a nearby women's restroom for an indeterminate time -- so the restrooms could be "decontaminated" by a professional cleaning company.

Walmart spokesman Brian Nick said an employee noticed someone carrying the backpack into the store's restroom, which is located at the front of the building. He also pointed that person out to authorities, according to the Washington Post, saying they might want to keep an eye on him. “He literally went in [the bathroom] with a backpack and came out without it a short time later,” Nick said.

In the state police release, it was noted that the practice of leaving a portable meth lab in public areas is becoming increasingly common. "Rather than the Meth cook blowing up or contaminating their house, they are now often leaving behind the deadly explosive chemicals in public places to return later to get the finished product. They will often times dump their trash, which includes Sudafed blister packs; Liquid Fire drain cleaner bottles, battery casings, and plastic drink bottles with white residue in the bottom, in rural or desolate areas, or in alleys or vacant lots."

A Justice Department publication entitled "Methamphetamine Laboratory Identification and Hazards," notes that: "Methamphetamine laboratories may be located virtually anywhere. Laboratories have been found in secluded rural areas as well as in residential, commercial, and industrial districts. Law enforcement officers have seized laboratories at private residences, commercial properties, hotels and motels, and outdoor locations. Mobile laboratories have been discovered in automobiles, boats, and luggage."

And, now, backpacks. The depositor of the portable meth lab has yet to be arrested. The investigation is ongoing.

According to a CNN interactive map using Drug Enforcement Agency statistics, Indiana, Tennesse, and Missouri have the highest rates of meth lab incidents. The map was compiled from information from local law enforcement agencies in the U. S. that had reportedly decontaminated or destroyed clandestine meth labs.