Drug team dismantles hallucinogen drug lab

[apothecary]

http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.....xml&coll=7

KALAMAZOO -- Residents of an Oshtemo Township apartment building stood outside at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday watching two police officers take off protective gear after removing items used in a nearby unit to make what investigators believe is a powerful hallucinogen.

``It's just overwhelming,'' said Morgan Barrons, one of about 20 residents who were temporarily evacuated while police removed the drug lab.

It was the first time that authorities have discovered a lab for making dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, on this side of the state, said Capt. Joseph Taylor, commander of the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team. Three labs were found last year on the east side of Michigan.

Taylor said one of the residents admitted to making DMT, a Schedule I drug under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act.

Under federal law, Schedule I drugs are classified as those having a high potential for abuse, no accepted medical use and can lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.

Other Schedule I drugs include heroin, marijuana and LSD.

During Tuesday night's bust, officers removed two full gallon jugs, a gallon-size metal container and several glass jars from the southernmost unit in the apartment building in the 5200 block of Croyden Avenue in the College Park Center complex.

KVET officers were checking out an anonymous tip that marijuana was in the apartment when they found the resident ``cooking'' the DMT, Taylor said.

The apartment building's residents were evacuated at about 8 p.m. because the process of extracting the hallucinogen -- in this case from a type of tree bark -- involves using caustic and volatile materials, much like in making methamphetamine, Taylor said.

Several fire trucks and fire fighters from Oshtemo Township stood by in case of an explosion. Members of the Kalamazoo County Regional Hazmat Team were on hand as well as personnel from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.

Taylor declined to name the 20-year-old man suspected of making the DMT because he hasn't been charged, pending test results, which could take several weeks to complete. The man, who attends a local college Taylor also declined to identify, is from Livonia.

``He said, `It enhances your senses and gives you a psychedelic feeling,''' Taylor said, quoting the man.

Taylor said the man told investigators he got the idea to make DMT after watching Joe Rogan, the host of television show ``Fear Factor,'' talk about it on the Web site YouTube and ordered ingredients from Internet sites, Taylor said.

=====================

 

(youtube)

[alkatrope]

Kalamazoo? Is this a joke?

First they say making, then later they mention it's an extract. Geez.

And since when is a bit of NaOH and shellite enough to evacuate a building??

[MindExpansion]

Yeh interesting that they say they had to evacuate the building, just creating some hype by the sounds of things, from the article it seems like a college student was smoking a bit of pot and making himself some dmt, but they make out like hes running a commercial meth lab, they even say the chemicals found are similar to those in a meth lab....hmmm well you might find those two in a meth lab but id imagine there would be a lot more chemicals not found in his college room that one would find in a meth lab. Id say youd find the NaOH and shellite in most peoples home. Poor guy, unless he was producing for the masses which it didnt sound like to me.

Peace,

Mind

[Fenris]

Kalamazoo used to be the location of the corporate HQ of Pharmacia which was since taken over by Pfizer. I don't know if it is stll a Corp HQ though.

With credentials like drug manufacture Im guessing he was hoping to get a career with Pfizer

[MindExpansion]

Hahahah @ Fenris. In their yet to be announced 'psychedelics' section no doubt.

Peace,

mind