JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida Fish and Wildlife officers patrolling a wooded area on the Westside came across two suspicious men and a meth lab Tuesday evening.
They were in the woods near Bicentennial Drive and Normandy Boulevard around 5 p.m. and noticed a silver pickup truck with what they believed was drug activity, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
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According to the report, the officers noticed clear liter bottle in the bed of the suspects' pickup truck, saw it was expanding, and asked the men what they were doing. The officers also found latex gloves, household chemicals, batteries, coffee filters and a bag with empty boxes of pseudophedrine boxes.
"JSO narcotics officers who specialize in this came out to the scene. They believed it to be in the most volatile stages of the meth production process," said Officer Melissa Bujeda.
Luke McClure, 25, and Walter Szymanski, 33, were arrested and charged with manufacturing of methamphetamines. Both are being held without bond.
The report said Syzmanski told the officer he went with McClure with a fire extinguisher to make sure he "did not blow himself up while he made meth," because McClure had set his bathroom on fire the last time he tried to cook up a batch.
There were no homes or businesses in the immediate area so there were no evacuations. However, crews backed off a safe distance and called in the proper units to dismantle the lab.
"It appears a makeshift operation however when it's makeshift, sometimes it's almost worse because these individuals use products and things that aren't safe. Whatever they can find to make it is what they use. When that occurs, it can be a very dangerous situation," said Bujeda.