Police find nearly 3 gallons of liquid meth in vacant Jacksonville pub

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An apparent meth lab was discovered Thursday inside a vacant business in downtown Jacksonville, police said. 

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office responded about 2:30 p.m. to a storefront on East Bay Street after a man who was there renovating it found drugs and called police. 

Police took the narcotics, which included prescription pills, that were inside the now-shuttered Hourglass Pub, which they said has been vacant for several months.

But a couple of hours later, the worker, who was hired by an investor who purchased the building, called police again, saying he had found more drugs.

When officers returned, according to JSO Sgt. Chris Jones, they found a 5-gallon gas can containing about 2½ to 3 gallons of a liquid, which tested positive for methamphetamine.

Police said there were also items inside the building that resembled those used in a meth lab.

Jones said additional resources were called in to clean out the building.

It's unclear how long the drugs had been there. 

The former owner of Hourglass Pub, Shannon Williams, told News4Jax that the discovery was heartbreaking. She said she closed the bar in February because the drug scene had gotten so bad. 

"We had a very serious anti-drug policy. It's really disheartening to see that the pub has only been closed for two months and that this is something that’s happening there now," Williams said. "First, I hope they figure out who's at fault for it. Second, I hope that it brings attention to the drug culture down there, that cops don't just turn a blind eye to it, that something is done."

The contractor who found the drugs said he was skeptical at first because he thought he may get blamed for it.

"Honestly, I was freaking out. I was worried I was going to be in trouble," Carl Stanley said. "I was worried I was going to be a suspect. It looked very suspicious that I just walked into $350,000 worth of drugs."

The Sheriff's Office continues to investigate.