I’m writing a novel, like an insane person, and one of my extremely stupid characters finds a meth lab (they are getting extremely common in this neck of the woods).
I was consdering having him steal meth from the lab, but I didn’t know if that was even feasible. Perhaps meth is one of those things that would only be in the lab immediately after, um, cooking and would never been left behind if no one was there? I figured the lab was going to be in a house trailer. I live in rural Ohio (10 meth labs found in this county in the last 10 months. Under 35000 people live in my county.)
I guess I’m curious if the whole theft plotline is a likely, not likely but possible, possible but damned improbable, or absodamnedlutely impossible. Anyone?
And does anyone know what form (powder, crystals, other) the drug would likely take if made in some podunk lab in a podunk county in a podunk state?
It’s not at all unlikely that one would find methamphetamine in a meth lab, either residual or stored for later sale or use. It would probably be in a crystalline powder form, from white to yellowish white.
If the character stumbles upon the lab during the reaction, you can figure an 11 liter round bottom flask with liquid in it, bubbles coming up through, and lots of crystalline powder precipitating in the bottom.
Another factor about clandestine labs is that when they are not attended, they are often boobytrapped to discourage nosy folk, thieves, and law enforcement.
Friends, neighbors, relatives, and innocent bystanders whom I will kidnap and force to read my novel do not now nor will they ever thank you. Ingrates!
Another vote against the scenario- the meth labs around here tend to be operated and guarded by big frikkin’ bikers with guns. And bust in at the wrong time during production, and you could be meeting St. Peter before you know what hit you.
In San Bernardino County (CA), they were busting an average of one meth lab per day in 1997-1998.