Meth Ingredients Seized, 6 Arrested During Drug Raids

Six people were arrested and unknown quantities of drugs were seized Friday when authorities raided a series of homes they suspect are linked to methamphetamine production and distribution.

At a house in Dalton Gardens, state and local authorities carted away dozens of containers filled with toxic chemicals often used to make the drug. Members of a hazardous materials unit dressed in safety gear also unloaded laboratory equipment there.

One person at that residence was still detained late Friday.

“As I understand it, this is just part of a much larger picture (methamphetamine) investigation,” said Idaho State Police Lt. Doug Camster.

Drug specialists from the Idaho Bureau of Narcotics began their day with a 6:30 a.m. search of a ranch home on East Garwood Road. Unknown quantities of the narcotic and marijuana were seized, and three people were jailed.

Arrested at the ranch were Wesley Redden, 27, of Hayden on charges of conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine; Tony R. Byers, 25, of Rathdrum and Russell McArthur, 27, both on charges of possession of marijuana.

Later Friday, on Anton Avenue in Coeur d’Alene, police arrested David Brown, 32, on charges of conspiracy to deliver drugs. Jeff Guydos, 31, was arrested on marijuana charges, and Annette Tipton, 29, both of Coeur d’Alene, was charged with probation violation and faces other drug charges.

A county law enforcement drug task force has been working for almost 48 hours straight on several investigations - “all of them methrelated,” said Coeur d’Alene Police Capt. Carl Bergh.

“Meth is now an everyday problem for us in this city,” Bergh said.

Violence and other crimes have been blamed on a rise in methamphetamine use in the Inland Northwest. The stimulant, called crank or ice, is said to produce a rush of energy that later is replaced by schizophrenic paranoia, headaches and stomachaches.

, DataTimes