POSSIBLE USE OF STORAGE FACILITIES
AS INDICATORS OF TERRORIST AND DRUG ACTIVITY

Internationally law enforcement agencies of federal, state, and local jurisdiction are constantly seeking the community’s assistance in taking a proactive approach to keeping American soil safe against terrorism and drug activity. In an effort to foster a heightened situational awareness in our communities, these agencies have identified a number of potential indicators of terrorism and drug activity as it pertains to use of storage facilities.

Historically, terrorist plots that involve Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) have utilized rental storage facilities to house parts of the bomb or supplies until the plotters have the time to assemble the weapon or prepare for the attack. Methamphetamine chemists also store and purchase materials included in the recipe for manufacturing methamphetamines in these same types of rental storage facilities and your very own local retail stores.

Customer behaviors that may be cause for concern:
• Insist on paying in cash, sometimes weeks or months in advance
• Seem overly concerned about privacy
• Visits the storage facility late at night or at unusual times
• Exhibit suspicious behavior by customers when approached by rental employees or security personal.
• Have unusual fumes, liquids, residues or odors emanating from storage units
• Display burns or chemical exposure symptoms and provide vague or irrational explanations for the injuries.
• Discard chemical containers in storage unit dumpsters

Storage of the following items may also be cause for concern:
• Pesticides
• Weapons or ammunition
• Flight manuals or other similar materials
• Large delivery vehicles, vans, cargo container, trailers or related equipment
• Quantities of fuel
• Agriculture or industrial chemicals
• Agricultural equipment, such as commercial sprayers
• Explosives, blasting caps or fuses
• Methamphetamine Laboratory materials (e.g., flasks, sealed containers) or protective clothing (e.g., surgical masks, gas masks, rubber gloves, self-contained breathing apparatuses), incinerators, incubators, cell cultures, agricultural sprayers, improvised showers and eye baths, and textbooks and journals discussing biology, chemistry, explosives and poisons, acetone, aluminum foil, anhydrous ammonia, brake cleaner, camping fuel, coffee filters, denatured alcohol drain cleaner, engine starter fluid, ether ephedrine/pseudo ephedrine products, funnels, gasoline additives, iodine, iodine crystal, iodine pill, iodine tincture, lithium batteries, lye, matches, methanol, muriatic acid, paint thinner propane tanks red phosphorus, rubber tubing, rubbing alcohol, sodium hydroxide sodium metal sulfuric acid, table or rock salt, toluene.

While no single fact is always an indicator of terrorist activity, it is imperative that operators and employees or storage facilities be aware of the above activities or behaviors.

It is important to remember that individuals renting storage facilities should not be selectively scrutinized based on nationality or appearances. Intelligence has indicated that terrorist groups are actively seeking to use non-Arabic, and non-middle eastern individuals as operators in order to avoid detection by law enforcement efforts.

Should storage facility owners, operators, or employees observe any of the activities or materials as outlined in this letter, they are urged to contact local law enforcement authorities. Contact for the observation of these tips can be made to the Macon County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division.

Chief Detective Lt. Brian Leopard	(828) 349-2076
Detective Kenny Cope	(828) 349-2573
Detective Chris Murray	(828) 349-2075
Detective Scott Nelson	(828) 349-2109

"Methamphetamine is one of the most prevalent drugs in Macon County. Drugs are the leading cause of our crime. The following information is posted on the Sheriff’s Office web site to make citizens more aware of the drug and to continue the fight against this menace to our community."
Sheriff Robert L. Holland

COULD THERE BE A METH LAB IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?

• Unusual strong odors (like cat urine, ether, ammonia or acetone)
• Residences with windows blacked out
• Lots of traffic - people coming and going at unusual times
• Excessive trash - including large amounts of items such as antifreeze containers, coleman fuel, red chemically stained coffee filters, drain cleaner or duct tape
• Unusual amounts of clear glass containers being brought into the home

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH METH LABS:

• alcohol
• iodine crystals
• ether
• red phosphorus
• benzene
• black iodine
• paint thinner
• Red Devil lye
• Freon
• Drano
• acetone
• battery acid/sulfuric acid
• chloroform
• Epsom salts
• Coleman fuel
• batteries/lithium
• starting fluid

• wooden matches
• anhydrous ammonia
• propane cylinders
• “Heet”
• hot plates
• white gasoline
• Ephedrine
• phenyl-2-propane
• cold tablets
• phenylacetone
• bronchodilators
• phenylpropanolamine
• energy boosters
• sodium metal
• rock salt
• muriatic/hydrochloric acid
• diet aids

IF YOU SUSPECT A METH LAB IN YOUR
NEIGHBORHOOD CALL