On Thursday Nov. 29, 2012 at approximately 7:45 p.m., agents with the South Central Kentucky Drug Task Force executed a search warrant on the residence of Amy Belcher, 26, of Dunmor-Deerlick Road in Lewisburg after receiving information from a drug tip.

Agents located meth lab components, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.

There were two children, ages 3 and 4, living at the residence. Social Services workers had to be called and the children were removed from the scene.

Belcher and David T. Carneal, 30, of Elkton were arrested on several drug related charges. They were both lodged in the Logan County Detention Center.

Assisting in this case was the Logan County Sheriff’s Deputies Clint Wright, B.J. Grayson and Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Officers.

“It wasn’t an actual meth lab, but they had stuff on the premises there to make meth,” said Task Force director Jerry Smith.

Smith says meth users are now doing what its called the one step method of making meth and believe it or not, it is even more dangerous than before.

“They are adding all the ingredients together and are shaking them up. This mixture will bubble and spew and if there is any water in there at all, it will explode,” said Smith, adding that people really don’t know what they are messing with until it’s to late.

One of the most terrible things about this problem, said Smith, is the exposure these children of the users/makers are having to endure.

“It’s bad enough, but when children are being exposed. We have had several kids taken out of the homes due to meth use and manufacturing. Kids are getting cancer and you don’t know if it’s what they are being exposed to at their homes. A lot of the components in a meth lab can cause cancer and then you also have the dangers of explosions,” said Smith.

An agent for the Drug Task Force, who was on scene at the recent above mentioned incident, said there was stuff laying all around where the children could get their hands on it.

“There was residue everywhere and the kids could have touched it and gotten it into their system. There were chemicals in reach of where the children were,” said the agent, whose identity needs to be kept secret due to the nature of drug task force operations.

The agent said besides the dangers associated with being high around your children, these chemicals used to make methamphetamine could effect them long term. All the components used in manufacturing methamphetamine are poisonous. Plus, said the agent, children are going to emulate what their parents do and if they can get a hold of this stuff, could become addicted to it.

“They can be easily burned by the chemicals and because most times the parents are high, they tend not to pay attention what is happening to their children who could get a hold of anything. It is very dangerous to children to be around this, they could even die,” said the agent.