The Fairfield, Hocking and Athens County major crimes units located and disassembled a methamphetamine manufacturing operation in Athens.
Law enforcement from three counties busted a meth operation in Athens on Thursday and charged a suspect with four felony charges.
The Fairfield, Hocking and Athens County major crimes units located and disassembled a methamphetamine manufacturing operation at 18879 River Rd. in Athens, according to an Athens Major Crimes Unit news release.
The main suspect in the case was Gerald R. Douglas, Jr., also known as “Richie,” who lived at the property. Douglas, 44, was a “person of interest” connected to several recent meth operations in the Athens area.
“Information learned about Douglas and details about the residence was from a long-running investigation gained through surveillance,” the news release states.
The Athens County Sheriff’s Special Response Team, assisted by the major crimes unit, was able to gain entry to the residence without any incident or injury.
In addition to meth, officers found ingredients and “vessels” commonly used for manufacturing the drug.
Douglas was charged with possession of methamphetamine, a fifth-degree felony. He was also charged with tampering with evidence and manufacturing of methamphetamine, both third-degree felonies.
He was also given an additional manufacturing of methamphetamine charge for presence of the drugs in a vessel, which is a second-degree felony.
Douglas was arrested and sent to the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail, according to the news release. Douglas could be sentenced to up to eight years in prison, according to the Ohio Revised Code.
A woman with multiple nationwide felony warrants out for her arrest, Katherine N. George, 22, was also at the residence Thursday. George, also known as “Nicki,” was taken to the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail to be held pending a hearing in Athens County Municipal Court.
The Rome Township Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the scene and provided fire suppression along with medical assistance.
The news release also noted that recent meth investigations show that area pharmacists regularly exercise good judgment and discretion when logging the sale of medications often used in meth labs.
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In January, the Athens County Sheriff’s Office located and secured two meth labs in the county, according to a previous Post report.
In 2015, the Athens Major Crimes Unit saw 19 meth-related cases and recovered a total of 56 vessels, according to a news release from the unit.
Meth is “highly available” in Southeast Ohio, according to a 2015 report from the Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring Network on the Athens area.
A study in the report showed that the drug’s availability in the area is at a 10 on a scale from zero to 10, with 10 meaning “extremely easy to get.” Meth is the second most available drug in the region after heroin, according to the report.
@AlxMeyer
