Anyone know what cooking Meth smells like?

[the possum]

The other day, I went outside to warm up my wife's car before she headed to work, and when I opened the door, my nostrils were instantly greeted by the powerful smell of anhydrous ammonia. My wife came out a few moments later, and wrinkled her nose at the odor. She is not quite as familiar with the smell, but I recognized it instantly from my farm background. I could tell it wasn't quite "pure", as there was a hint of a "dirty" smell mixed in with it.

This is the second time I've smelled it in the past few weeks. The first time, I recognized the anhydrous, but it was also mixed with the aroma of burning rubber, or dirty surplus gunpowder or something.

I called the police on both occasions, since it was so strong, and farmers certainly aren't using it now. But both times, the smell had mostly died off (after about 20-40 minutes since I first smelled it) by the time the locals arrived. I am hoping there is a reasonable explanation for the smell, but I knew I'd kick myself if something bad happened and I never reported it.

This brings me to last night. I hesitate to even post it, because I am rather uncertain I saw anything at all; I'm probably just paranoid after the above experiences. But, there is a house just across the street from us that's for sale, and I *thought* it was unoccupied. But last night I went out to feed our dog again, and a silver car pulled into the driveway just a little bit. (I was already walking/facing that direction, otherwise I would have never even paid attention) I saw a light shimmer at the side door of the house, and at first I thought it was just the headlights from this car shining on the window. But, the car was not moving at the time, and neither was I. I then realized it looked more like someone was flashing a flashlight from inside the door, five or six times. After this flashing, the car immediately backed out of the driveway again and took off. When the car moved, I quickly turned and walked to the side so it wouldn't look like I was watching, but I did go back to where I observed all this to make sure I wasn't just seeing the reflection of a street light or something. It really is a bad angle, so I can't be sure of what I saw, but it was enough to freak me out a bit after thinking about someone brewing meth nearby.

I'll probably see one of the local boys again within the next few days, and will mention this to him, but I wasn't sure enough to make a call last night. I guess I'm really hoping someone can confirm or put my mind at ease about the strange odors. I can't think of anything else that smells like that.

[444]

It certainly may turn out to be nothing, but I would bet good money that you are on the right track.

[yorec]

Good enough description for me - and I know the smell, but couldn't figure out how to put it into words any better than that.

Let us know what happens!

[mvpel]

Perhaps you should get in touch with the real estate agency that's listing the house, and let them know what you saw.

Do you have a sense that the smell is coming from that direction, or is it too generalized to pick out where it's coming from?

[JSandi]

The best way to describe the odor of a meth cook is a very strong chemical smell, almost unlike anything you probably have ever smelled.

It will have a heavy urine-like odor to it or smell like a combination of chemicals and dirty gym socks.

The most over bearing odor in a meth cook will not be the anhydrous ammonia it will be the Muriatic acid which has a ferocious smell by itself and will kill you by itself.

Once you smell one, an active cook you will never forget it.

It’s kind of like smelling a body in a burning house, hard to describe but you never forget the smell.

[the possum]

Good enough description for me - and I know the smell, but couldn't figure out how to put it into words any better than that.

I guess it's my organoleptic training coming through. I can tell the differences between different vintages of the same wine, and I suppose being able to associate, differentiate, and articulate the components of aromas has come in handy for other purposes now, too.

Perhaps you should get in touch with the real estate agency that's listing the house, and let them know what you saw.

I thought about that one, but it must be a private owner. Since I moved into my house 3 years ago, new people have moved in to this other place at least 3 or 4 times. Guess I really am a bad neighbor! Will see if I can find out, though. They could at least tell me if it's [supposed to be] vacant.

Do you have a sense that the smell is coming from that direction, or is it too generalized to pick out where it's coming from?

This house is directly north of mine, and on both occasions I smelled this, there was a very gentle breeze coming from the south/southwest. On the surface, it doesn't make sense. However, we're on the edge of town, and there are no other houses to the north of this one. It could be that they were smart enough to cook on a day when they thought the wind would carry the smell away from everyone, but the smeel was just too overpowering to get rid of completely. ??? I walked around my yard and it never seemed to get stronger- it was generally in the whole area. Maybe if I smell it again, I should try to sneak downwind of this place a safe distance away and see if it's any worse. Though I'm not sure about that....


The best way to describe the odor of a meth cook is a very strong chemical smell, almost unlike anything you probably have ever smelled.

It will have a heavy urine-like odor to it or smell like a combination of chemicals and dirty gym socks.

The most over bearing odor in a meth cook will not be the anhydrous ammonia it will be the Muriatic acid which has a ferocious smell by itself and will kill you by itself.

Well, this was a very strong chemical odor, but I did in fact recognize it instantly, and am quite sure it is anhydrous ammonia, mixed with other chemical and burning smells. Muriatic acid = Hydrochloric acid, right? My brother used Muriatic for cleaning metal- perhaps I should take a whaft and see if I recognize it...

It’s kind of like smelling a body in a burning house, hard to describe but you never forget the smell.

Did you mean that's what meth actually smells like, or were you just painting an example of an unforgettable stench?

[JSandi]

Just an example of an unforgettable stench.

:)

I've never smelled hydrochloric acid, but the muriatic acid will be very strong almost to the point of burning your nose and eyes if you are close to the cook when it is active.

[Big-Foot]

I had a real estate agent tell me it smells like cat ****. If you have a well these fools might just poison you by dumping chems directly into the ground or via the septic tank, I woundn't let this one pass.

[PhotoRecon]

We've had the same thing happen locally.

I wouldn't hesitate to call it in. If you wait they may move on and contaminate some other place. Locally, they've "cooked" that stuff in houses as well as out in the forest only to leave the toxic byproducts and other materials behind.

[SNoB]

Im glad to see there are concerned citizens out there besides me. Nothing worse than seeing a town go to hell because no one helped the police take care of problems like this.

[seb5]

As a fulltime cop I can tell that all of you are right about the smell. One thing to consider is that the smell can be described as all of the above depending on what method, recipe, or stage of the cook the addicts are currently in. I could spend an hour talking about this poison and frequently do. One thing that might help as far as response is taking your initial report a step further than patrol. Ask dispatch to have a narcotics officer or local drug task force officer to call you. I realize in some jurisdictions that is not possible, but it's worth a try.

[ISP2605]

If you're smelling NH3 this time of year and coming from a house then it's a meth lab. As others have said it is also often described as cat urine smell. Southern IL is a hot bed of meth labs. Contact your nearest State Police district and ask to be put in contact with either Investigations, Task Force, or MEG, depending on which area you're in. Somebody will talk to you.
Be really careful around that stuff. Some receipes are very explosive and flammable. None of the stuff you want to touch. These folks will dump the left over product in all kinds of locations. You don't want to be messing with it. Nasty stuff. We have people specially trained and the full moon suits for responding to and cleaning up the labs.

[Walter]

Some commercial printing machines, especially the type used
to produce "blueprints", exude a strong "ammonia" odor.

It is not uncommon for those machines to be vented through an
exterior wall into the outside air, much the way clothes dryers
are.

That said, they very well may be cooking meth across the
street from you. But that is another possible explanation for
a strong ammonia odor.

The link can explain the process better than I can.

http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/work/blue.htm

[Danindetroit]

Makeing copies of prints does smell like ammonia, I have made copies of prints with one of those old machines. It could be that the person who lived in the house was a "cat collector", a person who takes in stray cats, that take over a house. I think that the person who posted this knows his neighbor enough, not to just put stories on the web.

The sad thing is that people have to resort to all this when they could just get some ritalin, or one of the many other available, and "safe" amphetamines, or get some nicotine, a highly addictive, stimulant, instead of some garbage that is cooked up in some bathtub. As I understand it aviators actually have go and no go pills, that are used to prevent sleepiness, or make a pilot sleep. They want to make ephedra illegal, but it is used by people with breathing problems, in the form of primetene mist, and pseduo-ephedrine.

[seb5]

Dan , comparing meth to nicotine is like comparing a .22 to a 300mag. for elk hunting. They both have about as much in common as the other. There is'nt any drug on this earth that will bring you lower, faster, than meth. It does'nt compare to anything else out there. As far as the addictiveness and destruction it causes I would make an educated guess and say the crack cocaine would be very distant second. I live in the meth capitol of the nation now. I see its effects every day.

[CJNies]

I don’t think there’s a more dangerous drug out there at the moment! Meth production is making the 80s cocaine epidemic look minor in comparison. Try to get license plate numbers you get lucky and find someone with outstanding warrants.

[the possum]

Well, thanks all for the advice. I have already spoken about all this with the local police. Do they share this info with the Drug Task Force guys, or should it be reported seperately? If I tell them, "I smelled anhydrous the other day.", is that really enough for them to check things out? What do they need for probable cause? If there is a meth lab, I want it gone. But I don't think it's too smart to go snooping around a possible drug house. About all I've though to do is get license numbers and take pictures from a safe distance, but at the same time I don't really have much to go on, and don't want to be a peeping tom.

Let me give you all a little background about my relevant experiences here.
My wife is a cat lover, and we currently have four of the little bastids running around our house. (we will get the number down to 2 soon) Trust me, I am VERY familiar with the smell of cat urine. :mad: The first time I smelled this, my wife asked "Are you sure you're not smelling the litter box?". I am quite certain then and now, it was not cat pee. It was anhydrous ammonia. I can certainly see why people unfamiliar with anhydrous would describe it as smelling like cat pee, but I know both smells, and they are different.


I work at a farm supply company that deals with anhydrous ammonia theft on a regular basis. We get plenty of bulletins, and attend meetings on looking for the warning signs of meth manufacture. Our plan managers regularly get called in the middle of the night to go shut off valves that were tampered with. I recall on one weekend described as "average", one location had 29 tanks tampered with. Our company's board president has held anhydrous thieves at gunpoint behind his house. My dad farms, and has had his tanks messed with. Just last week, my coworker's neighbor was hauled off for making meth. I realize how rampant this drug is, which is perhaps why I may be jumping to conclusions when I smelled this odor.

[Danindetroit]

Nicotine and meth are both sympathetic amines, they are chemically similar they acts as stimulants, it is that simple. Ritalin is a stimulant of the same class. Diet drugs do the same thing, they might not be as powerful, Phentermine, is one, merida does the same thing, by keeping your body from breaking naturally occuring, substances down. As to the effect of one being legal, and one being illeagal. Read about prohibition. Chicago was nothing compared to detroit, the favorite thing was to hi-jack alcohol shipments from canada, with shoot outs all of the time. It was always stated that crack was 100% addictive. Well go to an AA meeting and ask people how addicting alcohol is. You are seeing the dregs of society, your statistical analysis, must include people who tried it and did not like it, or people who occasionally use, but you normally do not see them. It is just like alcohol, some people are alcoholics some aren't.

Nicotine is one of the most addicting substances, I am not sure how it stacks up to any other substance. Try holding your breath for 5 minutes, you are "addicted" to oxygen, and will do just about anything to get it. I think people who take meth, or crank, or crystal, are stupid. I have never understood the attraction to nicotine in any form, but I don't care if someone smokes, or chews, or whatever if they smoke too close to me or blow smoke in my face that is another story. I tried chew at 18, I was dizzy, and disoriented. I would have had to drink a pint of 80 proof liquor to get like that. From what I understand with most addicted people, it is trying to get the feeling of "that first time". I am not sure of the street drug of choice in detroit. I don't care, my wife has the task of drug testing, and making sure people go to rehab. At a local gunstore where a police officer worked, they asked him to do the "city" probation cases, he said no way, he did not want to be guaranteed to be usually dealing with criminals all the time.

The solution is get the government out of the business of telling adults what they can or can not do. Victimless crime seems to be an oxymoron. The war on drugs is a joke. It makes people who need legit prescriptions have to jump through hoops, makes the drug companies have higher costs, and dr's need more paperwork. The government does not need to make sure my meds are proper for me, that is between me and my Dr.

[444]

"They want to make ephedra illegal, but it is used by people with breathing problems, in the form of primetene mist, and pseduo-ephedrine."

This isn't true. The drug used for breathing problems and in Primatene is EPINEPHERINE.

[pax]

Well, thanks all for the advice. I have already spoken about all this with the local police. Do they share this info with the Drug Task Force guys, or should it be reported seperately? If I tell them, "I smelled anhydrous the other day.", is that really enough for them to check things out? What do they need for probable cause? If there is a meth lab, I want it gone.
the possum ~

If you call up your local drug task force and ask them those questions, you'll get better advice about what you should do than you will from helpful strangers on the internet.

That's not to disparage this, or any other, forum. It's simply to point out that the answers you need are only a phone call away. At worst you'll have wasted 10 minutes and the price of a phone call. At best, you'll have a list of what they need to know and a good chance of getting the meth lab out of your neighborhood.

pax

[Danindetroit]

http://www.ephedrine-ephedra.com/pages/what_is_ephedrine_1234.html

http://www.primatene.com/products/primatene_tablets.asp

What is Ephedrine, Ephedra and Ma Huang?

These terms are used to refer to the same substance derived from the plant Ephedra. (There are many common names for these evergreen plants, including squaw tea and Mormon tea.) Ephedra is a shrub-like plant that is found in desert regions in central Asia and other parts of the world. The dried greens of the plant are used medicinally. Ephedra is a stimulant containing the herbal form of ephedrine, an FDA-regulated drug found in over-the-counter asthma medications.

Primatene® is the #1 over-the-counter medicine sold for the relief of physician-diagnosed, bronchial asthma.
Each tablet contains ephedrine hydrochloride USP "bronchodilator", 12.5 mg and guaifenesin USP "expectorant", 200 mg.

The package of primatene tablets, that I picked up this time has Ephedrine in it.

I made a mistake in which one had which, the one you mention is actual adrenaline.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/e1/epinephr.asp

I misidentified which type of stimulant was in primaten Mist. You said it isn't even in primatene. It is, according to them. I just went by the pills. So explain what is not true, exactly.

PS I haven't been able to get the mist. I don't have asthma?, I can not breath in deeply because of a back problem, these meds help to clear up my congestion in my chest,and sinuses. Pseudo-ephedra doesn't work anymore, and my pharmacist recommended theses meds. The guaifenesin helps to keep my sinuses from drying out. The govt is banning these drugs, because they can act just like prescription meds, and help people lose weight. That would be a shame, if americains with disabling conditions, were allowed to buy meds that were not $10 a pill, and have the pharmaceutical indusrty lose money. They are all sympathetic amines.

[seb5]

Unfortunately it's not only the dregs of society that are addicted to meth. This is a different breed of drug. I have personally spoke with meth addicts, and I mean regularly at a few rehab centers I am involved with, that are MD's, attorneys, teachers, nurses, accountants, etc. These are or were, educated, hard working folks. They quite obviously underestimated the chance of addiction. I know most thought they could handle it. The average successful rehab is in thier 8th attempt. 6% of users do not become addicts. I've had Docs tell me that meth is second only to nicotine in addictiveness. None of these people said, hey I think I want to spend all of my savings, max out my credit cards, bankrupt my family, lose said family, lose job and/or career along with losing weight, staying up 10 days straight without a shower , teeth brushing, or change of clothes. Rotten teeth, Supporating(sic) sores on my body, easily broken bones, etc., etc. As far as being a victimless crime.......you are quite obviously more educated and intelligent than that. I won't start on the war stories I have pesonally witnessed. Rant mode off. Ciao.

[4V50 Gary]

Let the narcs shut it down and hopefully they shut it quick. That stuff is hazardous to your health.

[Don Gwinn]

Trust your instincts about that house, too! In Illinois it's all too common for "unoccupied" houses to be used as meth labs. These people have the entire "lab" worth of materials and equipment in the trunk of a car and can move it pretty quickly.

There's got to be a way to contact the owner. If it's a for sale by owner, they've got to have a number for people to call, or something. . . . or maybe they don't, but that's a heck of a way to sell a house.

Would you mind telling us what town this is? No need, really, but I am curious.


Seb5, I've heard what you're saying, but I've also heard there's a "silent minority" of normal, functioning people out there who do their jobs and take care of their kids but still take meth. Have you had any experience with this phenomenon? I realize you might not see someone like that at a rehab center even if they're out there.


Frankly, meth (or whatever's next) is only going to get worse until people have a better reason not to make it than to make it. Right now it's just awfully profitable.

[seb5]

It would be ignorant to say that is not possible. I have dealt with some that are still functional but most (99%) of the time they are short time (less than a year) users. I think there have to be a small percentage of our population that for some reason do not become addicted to anything. It took me 10 years of off and quitting cigarettes to succeed. Eveyone knows the person that will pick up or put down smokes whenever they want. But they are few and far between. The problem is it's impossible to predict at what point a person becomes addicted, and to what degree. A casual user is playing roulette with thier life. I've spoke with people that told me they were hooked the first time they used. I think it's more likely that some folks tried meth and never went back. As far as casual users go I know it has to be possible, but they are few and far between. I would not use even if it was legal, and I mean meth ,coke, weed, take your pick. But if my 15 and 13 year old do some day experiment I hope and pray it's not with meth. Anything but meth.

[mvpel]

In California and New York, in the face of escalating cigarette taxes, they're starting to see the kind of violent crime formerly confined to the illegal drug trade.

A cigarette warehouse was robbed, and its security guard attacked, by a gang of armed criminals - they made off with a truckload of untaxed smokes and a few rolls of tax stamps worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Smuggling of cigarettes from low-tax to high-tax states is big business.