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Suspect arrested in methamphetamine caseBy Barbara Brown Kanabec County Sheriffís deputies arrested a 48-year-old man believed to have operated methamphetamine laboratories in both Chisago and Kanabec counties, according to Chisago County Sgt. Bob Shoemaker. William David Anderson was arrested Sunday during a traffic stop on an arrest warrant from the Chisago County Sheriffís Office, Shoemaker said. Chisago County Sheriffís deputies, officers from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Pine County Sheriffís Office and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency all participated in the April 27 search at 30883 Karmel in Lent Township. There, officers found items in the house consistent with an anhydrous ammonia style cooking set-up for producing methamphetamine. Officers were on the scene for more than 20 hours collecting evidence, Shoemaker said last week. Shoemaker said a representative of the Drug Enforcement Agency said the Karmel clean-up effort was the most expensive the state has seen. Methamphetamine has devastating environmental impacts because the poisonous chemicals used to make the drug can seep into ground water and soil, polluting them. After Kanabec County Sheriffís deputies arrested Anderson on the Chisago County warrant, they searched his car and found methamphetamine in the vehicle. Officers then searched his residence in Kanabec County and found remnants of a second methamphetamine lab, Sgt. Shoemaker said. ìThe Kanabec County sheriffs did a great job,î Sgt. Shoemaker said. ìNot only did they catch our guy, but they may have found a second lab in the process.î Anderson is believed to have been traveling between residences in Chisago and Kanabec counties to produce the drug. Shoemaker said Anderson had not had any prior drug charges. Anderson was held Tuesday in Kanabec County awaiting transfer to Chisago County. After his transfer, he was expected to be held in the Chisago County jail until a hearing before a judge when he is expected be charged with running a methamphetamine lab. Sgt. Shoemaker said he could not say Tuesday how much finished methamphetamine was found in the Chisago County house because tests to determine what substances were found were not complete. Shoemaker said the sheriffís office was tipped off to a possible methamphetamine lab by a neighbor. He said if neighbors spot multiple propane containers outside a residence, notice a lot of traffic in and out of a particular house or if they smell ammonia in an unlikely area, residents should call law enforcement authorities. ©ECM Post Review |