More drug busts in county: Tip leads police to meth lab in self-storage locker in Sycamore, 14 pot plants

SYCAMORE - Police investigating an anonymous tip Thursday were led to a methamphetamine lab in a self-storage unit and 14 marijuana plants growing near a park. The North Central Narcotics Task Force working with the Sycamore Police Department received an anonymous tip about 24-year-old Ryan P. McMillan's alleged production of methamphetamine, also known as meth. According to court records, officers went to McMillan's Archie Place home around 9:30 p.m., where they questioned him and he agreed to lead them to a storage locker he had at Floit Brothers Self Storage, 416 Wyman St. There, police found equipment and chemicals needed to produce methamphetamine, Sycamore Police Chief Don Thomas said. After the equipment was reportedly discovered, the Illinois State Police Methamphetamine Response Team worked on the scene for about three hours. Members of the Sycamore Fire Department also were present in case they were needed. &#8220Dismantling or securing evidence from a meth lab can be dangerous work because of the different chemicals used to produce meth,” Thomas said. An estimated 20 to 30 percent of known meth labs are discovered because of fires or explosions, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meth is made with over-the-counter drugs such as Sudafed and other household chemicals such as lithium from batteries and ether found in starter fluid. Illinois State Police Master Sgt. John Biffany said finding a meth lab in a self-storage unit is not uncommon. &#8220It does happen with frequency because people are looking for alternative locations other than in their own homes,” he said. &#8220Due to the distinct chemical odor (that meth production) gives off, neighbors tend to call police, and meth cooks know this. They cook at a remote site where the sense of detection is less.” Meth, a powerful stimulant also known as speed, crank and ice, is the second most widely abused illegal drug in the world after marijuana, according to the 2004 World Drug Report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. According to the Illinois Attorney General's Office, the number of meth labs seized in the state grew from 27 in 1997 to 707 in 2001 and 1,189 in 2005. Between 1997 and 2005, DeKalb County has had meth lab seizures only in 2001 and 2002, when each year four meth lab confiscations were reported. Meth is commonly found in rural areas and is the only drug that has higher rates of drug use and treatment admissions in rural areas than in urban ones, according to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. &#8220No community is immune,” Biffany said. &#8220Southern Illinois has an epidemic (of meth) and it's creeping into northern Illinois, and citizens of Sycamore and DeKalb County need to be aware that the spread of meth that started in southern Illinois is spreading to northern Illinois and throughout the state.” After police discovered McMillan's meth lab, he also admitted to growing marijuana, police said. &#8220It was just outside of town on the east side,” Thomas said. &#8220It was shoulder-high and ready to harvest.” The secluded field on private property where the marijuana was found is about a quarter mile south of Sycamore Park near Airport Road in a wooded area near a stream, according to court records. Fourteen plants with a total street value of $14,000 were confiscated. It is the second outdoor marijuana-growing production found in DeKalb County this week. Police in Genoa destroyed 165 plants Monday in a field in the city's west side. McMillan is charged with possession of methamphetamine manufacturing materials, unlawful use of property, production of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and possession of marijuana. He is being held on $200,000 bond. An investigation continues, and additional charges are pending. Thomas urges residents who suspect drug activity in Sycamore to call police at (815) 895-3435. &#8220As of yet, Sycamore is not rife with drug problems, especially methamphetamines,” he said. &#8220However, there is no community in Illinois and the United States that isn't touched with a drug problem.” Aracely Hernandez can be reached at ahernande@daily-chronicle.com.