Police dismantle ‘major’ meth lab operation in Corbin

Four people are in custody and many more arrests are expected after police raided a home in Corbin early Wednesday morning in an effort to dismantle a “major” methamphetamine making operation.

According to Corbin Police Sgt. Glenn Taylor Jr., who is leading the investigation into the case, police have had a watchful eye on the home of James Brown at 707 Caldwell Street for at least six months.

“We started getting a lot of complaints from neighbors and on the drug tip line. They complained there was lots of traffic going in and out of there and they could smell chemical smells and stuff like that,” Taylor said.

But it was an early-morning call from a woman who witnessed methamphetamine being made in the home that gave police the concrete information they needed to make a move. After some surveillance, Taylor said he secured a search warrant for the residence and four teams of two officers each descended on the residence Wednesday morning. What they found inside what shocking.

“There was just an ungodly amount of material in there to make meth,” Taylor said. “This is a huge lab and they were cooking it all the time.”

Taylor said a freezer in the garage was full of anhydrous ammonia. Authorities also found a suitcase full of Coleman lantern fuel, Pseudophed tablets, starter fluid, acetone, lithium batteries, funnels, etc. — all the ingredients to make methamphetamine were simply lying all over the house. Authorities found a secret trap door in the attic that led to an area where at least active meth lab was being housed. The lab was deconstructed by a Kentucky State Police Drug Enforcement Special Investigations team from KSP Post 10 in Harlan.

Arrested were:

* James Brown, 39, of Corbin.

* Richard Hodge, 41, of London.

* Angela Senters, 34, of London.

* Melissa Mills, 34, of Barbourville.

Each of the suspects was charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, unlawful possession of meth precursors, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal possession of anhydrous ammonia, possession of controlled substances and for having anhydrous ammonia in an improper container. They were all lodged in the Knox County Detention Center.

Accordign to police, at least 20 vehicles pulled up to the residence while police were performing surveillance or while the bust was underway — all people who were looking to purchase methamphetamine Taylor contends.

“He [Brown] said he didn’t know anything about meth here, and that he just lived her and partied all the time, but he didn’t know nothing,” Taylor said.

Authorities allegedly found methamphetamine on Brown when they arrived.

One neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said police crackdown at the home was welcome.

“It’s about damn time,” the neighbor said. “From one Friday night until Sunday I counted 66 cars coming in and out of there. It was crazy. Nobody in the neighborhood really knew the guy. He didn’t association with anyone much.”

Taylor said police plan to seize a full-size pick-up truck owned by Brown and are also looking at taking possession of a BMW parked at the residence when they arrived.

An investigation into the case is ongoing. Corbin Police Captains Rob Jones and DAvid Maiden, along with Det. Bill Rose, K-9 Officer Coy Wilson, and patrolmen Matt Conley and Jeff Hill assisted at the scene.