MADERA – When the Madera County Sheriff’s Office Narcotic Enforcement Team uncovered a methamphetamine conversion lab on January 31, 2019, it called upon California Department of Justice criminalists to assist with the dismantling and clean up.

“Drug conversion labs can be very dangerous and of course, the materials hazardous,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.  “Having a team of trained criminalists at the ready, who can be called upon to assist local law enforcement officers with the clean- up goes a long way in protecting the public.  The public don’t stop to think about the many and important jobs of DOJ criminalists.  They are the scientific arm of law enforcement and criminal justice, and many cases would go unadjudicated without them.”

Deputies discovered the drug lab on January 31, 2019, when the Madera Narcotic Enforcement Team (MADNET) served a search warrant in the 20000 block of Avenue 19 in the county of Madera. MADNET Detectives located multiple pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, evidence of a methamphetamine conversion lab was discovered, and a loaded firearm was seized from the residence.

As a result of the investigation, three suspects were arrested on charges including manufacturing a controlled substance, possession of methamphetamine for sale, and possession of heroin and cocaine for sale.