Cedar Rapids police arrested seven people in a meth lab bust this morning.
Sergeant Cristy Hamblin of the Cedar Rapids Police Department says the active meth lab was located in a home on the city’s southeast side. Drug enforcement agents and officers in SWAT gear served the search warrant just after 7 a.m.
“Obviously, this was an early morning or all through the night kind of operation,” Hamblin said. “This was a good size arrest and (officers) stopped them right in the middle of making meth.”
The Cedar Rapids Fire Department’s hazardous materials team assisted at the scene with the dangerous chemicals. Hamblin says there was no danger to anyone in the neighborhood, but there were several children waiting for a school bus just a couple blocks away.
“This residence is just a few blocks from a middle school and just a few blocks from a hospital as well,” Hamblin said. “So, that was the fortunate thing…no one was at danger. Really, the only people that were truly at danger were the manufacturers themselves.”
Six Cedar Rapids residents are facing drug charges after the bust. They are identified as 38-year-old John Beltz, 49-year-old Tracy Stephens, 32-year-old Danial Sill, 39-year-old Joseph Boots, 37-year-old Roy Shelton 41-year-old Michael Hoover. Another person who lives at the home, 61-year-old Mabel Franks, was arrested for having a disorderly house.
Hamblin says the individuals could face additional charges because of the home’s close proximity to the school.