Please Note:

This information should be used purely for educational purposes to make people more aware of illegal activities that may be occurring around them. MethSafe suggests that any one of these "signs" is not suspicious but that in conjunction with other information indicates a potential problem that should be handled in the correct manner.

The only way to determine the presence of meth in a property is to have the property Laboratory Tested.

How to Identify a Clandestine methamphetamine laboratory - police.govt

DIY Ventilation

There are many different ways to ventilate a space. More often than not, ventilation is directed straight into the roof cavity.

This creates many further problems as the roof cavity becomes contaminated which increases the cost and difficulty of clean-up.

Unusual Stains or odors

Yellow/red staining can be an indicator of high concentrations of iodine or red phosphorus being used.

Areas of staining:

• Around the toilet/laundry tub.

• Floors throughout

• The kitchen below or around sink/stove

Smells can be similar to:

•  Rotting Eggs

•  Urine

•  Fertilizer

Covered Windows

Covered windows are to prevent the interior of the house from being seen, and also provide some kind of insulation from the smells getting out.

In this way, meth cooks can control where the fumes are ventilated ensuring that they do not vent directly into neighbors space, or out onto the road.

Large quantities of packaging/items

Some of the items may include:

• Cold tablets

• Lithium batteries

• Antifreeze

• White gas

• Ether

• Starting fluids

• Lye

• Drain cleaner

• Solvents (paint thinner, acetone, alcohol)

• plastic soda bottles with holes near the top 

• tubes and rubber hoses

Excessive Security and strange operating hours

Excessive security measures can indicate meth or drug-related activity. This includes using keep out signs, having guard dogs or other means of surveying the entry points into the property.

The operating hour's change can also indicate drug-related activities. Increases in traffic or frequent "late night" activities may indicate suspicious behavior.

Dead Vegetation, soil disturbances or burn pits

During manufacture, chemical waste is created. Meth cooks dump this waste onto the land or dig a hole and bury or dump it into the drainage system.

Dead vegetation or soil disturbances can indicate chemical dumping, as well as corroded drains.

Paraphernalia/drug use equipment

Most of the common signs of methamphetamine use include;

• Small plastic resealable bags

• straws made of pieces of paper or cardboard

• glass pipes

• lightbulbs with filament removed

• Blue flame butane lighters.

People on Meth Exhibit certain behaviors

• Do not sleep for long periods

• Lose his or her appetite

• Lose large amounts of weight

• May appear unusually active

• Can seem nervous and anxious

• Talk very quickly and appear jumpy or jittery

• Grinding of teeth or damage to teeth may be apparent

• Lack of Hygiene

Signs of the distribution of Methamphetamine

• lots of traffic all day, every day

• Extra efforts to cover windows or reinforce doors

• Never putting out the trash

• Unfriendly, paranoid or secretive behavior

• Unemployed persons who seem to have plenty of cash

Give us a call today to see how DIY meth testing might work for you

Signs of Anger

Damage to doors and door frames are very common as they are the most likely part of the house to receive abuse from a person who is angry.

This also applies to damage to walls that would be consistent with fists or feet piercing the walls.

Signs of anger is very common in homes contaminated with meth, but should not be singularly relied upon as evidence of meth-related activity.