A Maryland woman is facing a number of charges including driving under the influence of drugs, two counts possession of a controlled substance and manufacturing methamphetamine after state police troopers found her cooking meth while driving.
The incident took place while Christie Ann Smith was driving down I-64 in Virginia and caught the eyes of the law enforcers due to her erratic driving. After stopping her to investigate the cause, the cops found a mobile meth lab in the vehicle.
“It’s considered a one-person lab” said Virginia State Police Sgt. Keven Barrick, while talking to WVEC. He also said one of the officers reported “Smith was cooking meth as she was driving down the road.”
The 39-year-old was arrested and in addition to the charges listed above, she was also charged with driving while suspended, having no valid operator’s license and using false identity.
As unusual as this story is, Smith’s mobile meth lab is not unique to this case. According to UPI, 38 of these types of labs were discovered in the state of Virginia last year, up from 28 the year before.
Virginia State Police Lt. Jason Robinson explained to WAVY, “As meth labs increase, so do mobile meth labs.”
He also listed some of the related hazards.
“You have the danger of explosives, and some of the gases associated with meth labs are dangerous. They’re not safe for you to inhale. There’s ammonia gas, hydroch acid gas and you also have the fire danger” he said, adding, “I know there’s been incidents […] where people driving in cars have the meth lab explode in the car.”
And in addition to all those possibilities, there’s also the very real potential of ending up in jail.
