Methamphetamine Production
 This web page is NOT designed to teach one how to manufacture meth.
However, basic knowledge of the process enhances one’s understanding
of the dangers involved in both the manufacture and use of methamephetamine
as well as educating law-abiding citizens on how to determine if a meth
lab is on or near your property.
Meth is a man-made drug. There are three primary methods for cooking
meth the P-2-Pmethod, Psudoephedrine/ephedrine reduction through the
red phosphorus method, psudoephedrine/ ephedrine reduction through the
anhydrous ammonia method.
These processes received their name from the primary precursor (ingredients)
chemicals used in the production of meth. The P-2-P (phenyl-2-propanone)
method is primarily used by large drug cartels in Mexico. The possession
or purchase of P-2-P is illegal in the United States. International drug
cartels have access to P-2-P through illegal markets and manufacture
meth in Mexico and later distribute the finished product in the United
States. P-2-P was legally available in the past and west coast motorcycle
gangs utilized the P-2-P cooking method when they controlled the methamphetamine
trade. The government’s restrictions on P-2-P forced meth production
to take a different direction.
The prohibition against P-2-P in the United States has resulted in almost
a total reliance upon ephedrine reduction. In this process, methamphetamine
manufacturers commonly referred to as cooks, chemically extract ephedrine
or psuedoephedrine from over the counter cold medicines. Although meth
users, cooks and law enforcement officials refer to meth labs, they have
little or no resemblance to one’s normal image of a scientific
laboratory. Clandestine labs are often simple, crude and consist of common
household items. Meth can be cooked in basements, old buildings, motel
rooms, camping trailers and moving vehicles.
Once the ephedrine has been extracted, the cook will manufacture “Nazi” or “Red
P” meth. Both “recipes” utilize heat and chemical reactions
to manufacture the finished product, Methamphetamine Hydrochloride. The
process is essentially the same with the exception of the agents used
in the reaction.
In Nazi meth, the cook will add lithium strips, usually extracted from
batteries, and anhydrous ammonia to the reduced ephedrine to start the
chemical reaction.
To produce meth, drug makers often steal anhydrous
ammonia -- a commonly-used fertilizer in agriculture -- from ag chemical
dealerships. Unlike most of the other precursor ingredients, anhydrous
is not readily available to most citizens. Because it is commonly stored
as a gas, the meth cooker will drain the anhydrous into a 20 lb propane
tank, the same one you might have on your gas barbeque grill. Again,
it is not illegal or necessarily suspicious to possess one of these
tanks. However, if the tank has been used to transport anhydrous the
valves will discolor to a bluish tint and is often an indicator that
meth production is afoot. Other cooks will drain the anhydrous into a
plastic or Styrofoam cooler and transport it in its liquid state.
Because anhydrous ammonia is an extremely hazardous substance, the potential
for explosion is great, especially when you have inexperienced people
mixing highly volatile chemicals. The improper storage and transport
of anhydrous ammonia places law enforcement officers, fire and medical
responders, ag chemical dealers, and the public at great risk. Exposure
to anhydrous ammonia can cause serious injury or even death.
- In the Red
P recipe, red phosphorous, usually extracted from the striker plates
of matches, and iodine, are used in lieu of lithium and anhydrous.
- In
the Red P method, the cook mixes Iodine and red phosphorus to create
a chemical reaction
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