Tazewell County Drug Arrest Example of Major Police Effort

The search of a Princeton, Virginia residence uncovered drug paraphernalia and the chemicals needed to make methamphetamine. Though the setup was small, it represents a large problem in Virginia. No longer do meth manufacturers need large amounts of chemicals and big spaces to make the drug. Brian Hiett, chief of operations at the Tazewell County Sheriff's Office recently spoke about this case and others like it.

"Now there's ways of making meth using much smaller things," he said. "It's getting to where you don't need a big laboratory."

The smaller labs sometimes mean that manufacturers are able to operate undetected. However, Hiett and his team, along with Virginia State Police, have been working harder than ever to stop meth production in Tazewell County. This recent arrest is part of a larger police operation. In the past few months alone, police have made meth-related arrests in Amonate, Bandy, and Bishop.

The most recent arrest of Jeffery Scott Hass of Baptist Valley, Virginia, led to charges of possession of a Schedule II controlled substance and possession of two or more chemicals with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine.

At the scene of the arrest, Virginia State Police were tasked with cleaning up the lab. Meth labs are often dangerous, as the chemicals used to "cook" meth are highly toxic when mixed.