The news story below describes a cave that authorities allege had toxic chemicals dumped in it.
About 120 yards into a cave off Maplewood Drive, Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force officers recovered the remnants of 10 to 12 methamphetamine labs Monday. Some of the waste had been inside the cave for years. Some was more recent. All of it was toxic. “This is the Mammoth Cave karst system,” Kentucky State Police Detective Gary Travis said before entering the cave in his white Tyvek protective suit and air mask. Any gases or liquid waste from the labs had already seeped into the water table. Drug investigators retrieved about 10 pounds of solid waste. “None of us want to be drinking the hazardous waste that meth labs produce,” task force Director Tommy Loving said. For every pound of methamphetamine produced, six pounds of waste are left behind. “There is a very simple solution to this problem, and that is to make Sudafed a prescription drug,” Loving said as he stood in the peaceful wooded area surrounding the cave entrance. “It’s a simple solution if we can get the legislature to listen to us instead of the well-funded drug companies.” Pseudoephedrine is the primary ingredient used to cook meth. Without it, methamphetamine can’t be produced. The drug is currently available over the counter but must be purchased from a pharmacist who logs the purchase. A person can buy up to nine grams a month. Meth cooks get around the law by paying other people to buy the drug for them, called smurfing. In all, four investigators suited up Monday afternoon to remove the waste. Two entered the cave while two more stood outside to assist in the event that one of the men inside needed help. “Most of the caustic chemicals are still there, at least what hasn’t been washed into the water table,” Loving said. The heavy metals used in meth production deplete the oxygen levels in the cave. These meth cooks were lucky - they didn’t suffocate themselves. On the footpath that leads to the cave, investigators found another more recent lab and a pillowcase filled with pill soak. That’s the material left behind from the pseudoephedrine pills after the drug has been removed for use in meth. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
