Meth lab bust charges filed

Charges of manufacturing a controlled substance were filed in magistrate court on Wednesday against three subjects arrested in connection with seized meth labs in Portales.

“The investigation is still ongoing and there could be additional arrests and charges filed,” Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Deputy Malin Parker said.
Manufacturing charges were filed against Cody Banister, 27, Brandy Rury, 24 and Troy Thompson, 29.

If convicted of the crime, a first-time offender could face a sentence of up to nine years. If a person is convicted for a second time, they could face a sentence of up to 18 years, said Matt Chandler, 9th Judicial District Attorney.

They were arrested on May 6 after officers seized the first of three meth labs at Banister’s residence at 137 Mesilla Park, officials said. Sheriff’s officials received a tip about a possible lab at the residence from Portales police. Coordinating with Roosevelt County adult probation and the Region V Task Force a home visit was conducted and the components of methamphetamine manufacturing were discovered in the residence, Parker said.

“This is the second time that the sheriff’s office has seized a meth lab at the residence at 137 Mesilla Park,” Parker said. “The last meth lab that was busted in Roosevelt County was at this same residence less then a year ago.”

“The Portales Police Department has not seized a meth lab in three to four years,” said Capt. Lonnie Berry of the Portales police department.
A second meth lab was found in Thompson’s vehicle and the third lab was discovered by sheriff’s deputies and agents of the Region V Task Force at a residence at 42988A on U.S. 70 in Roosevelt County, officials said.

Sheriff’s officials seized meth during the arrest, and found unfinished product in the lab equipment,  Parker said.

“A meth lab poses a potential danger to the surrounding residents and environment,” Parker said. “The chemicals needed to manufacture the drug and chemicals produced as a result of the production can be very hazardous and volatile.”

Dangers of Meth

• Methamphetamine  is a powerfully addictive and violent drug. Its use can result in fatal kidney and lung disorders, brain damage, liver damage, chronic depression, paranoia and other physical and mental disorders. Recent studies have demonstrated that meth causes more damage to the brain than alcohol, heroin, or cocaine.

• The chemicals used to make meth are toxic, and the lab operators routinely dump waste into streams, rivers, fields, and sewage systems. The chemical vapors produced during cooking permeate the walls and carpets of houses and buildings, making them uninhabitable. Cleaning up these sites requires specialized training and costs an average of $2,000-$4,000 per site in funds that come out of the already-strained budgets of state and local police.

• Hundreds of children are neglected every year after living with parents who are meth “cooks.” More than 20 percent of the meth labs seized last year had children present.

Source Drug Enforcement Agency Web site: www.justice.gov/dea