Crystal meth crystals. Photograph by Redspunk
Police have discovered a crystal meth lab in a suburban street in Ealing, West London.
Police were called to a “scuffle” between landlord and tenant at the property according to the Evening Standard. When they arrived at the four-bedroom house on Cawdor Crescent in Hanwell they discovered what appeared to be a lab for creating the Class A drug crystal meth, which was recently made famous on the hit television show Breaking Bad.
Police have cordoned off the property while officers investigate the property using special breathing equipment, as the fumes given off in the production of crystal meth can be volatile and noxious.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of the production of crystal meth in connection with the discovery.
Crystal meth, the crystaline form of methamphetamine, is an extremely addictive amphetamine and offers an extreme high for 4-12 hours, followed by a very severe comedown. Long-term use of crystal meth has been found to cause brain damage in some cases.
Crystal meth use is a major issue in the US, with an estimated one million people using the drug in 2011, but it has never made its way into UK drug culture with the Home Office estimating that only 17,000 people used the drug in the UK in 2012.
