Bridgeton Man Charged With Making Meth

Officers searched the man's home on Wickshire Court because he was a suspect in a burglary, Bridgeton Police said.

A Bridgeton man faces drug charges after police searched his home and discovered materials used to make methamphetamine. Johnathon P. Luebbert, 25, of the 11500 block of Wickshire Court in Bridgeton, was charged Jan. 9 with possessing a methamphetamine precursor drug with intent to make methamphetamine, possessing a chemical with intent to make a controlled substance, and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia. Bridgeton Police said that officers investigating a burglary searched Luebbert’s home on Aug. 5. They discovered pseudoephedrine, methanol, peroxide, muriatic acid and other chemicals and equipment used to make meth, according to the report. Bail for Luebbert was set at $25,000. For more crime information on Maryland Heights Patch, see …

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Two-Year DEA Meth Investigation Stings Maryland Heights, Bridgeton Residents

Four Bridgeton and Maryland Heights area residents were among those charged as a result of a two-year U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency investigation into methamphetamine production in St. Louis County.

Two-Year DEA Investigation Stings 30 Residents in Meth Ring

Those arrested include residents in Maryland Heights, Bridgeton, St. Charles and much of North and Northwest St. Louis County.

A two-year U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency investigation brought 62 charges against 30 people involved in producing methamphetamine in North and Northwest St. Louis County. - - - - -  Sign up for our free daily newsletter or like us on our Maryland Heights Facebook page for all the latest news regarding Maryland Heights. - - - - -  Charges were filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court last week against people in a web-like network of at least 26 people. Those involved in the meth ring include residents of Maryland Heights, Bridgeton, St. Charles, St. Ann, Overland, Breckenridge Hills, Woodson Terrace, St. John, Bel Ridge and unincorporated St. Louis County. Information from the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s office indicates police still are …

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Meth-Busting Allergy Drug Now Available at Walgreens

Zephrex-D, a new decongestant touted to fight meth labs, is now available at Walgreens. It's coming to two more major St. Louis area pharmacies in coming weeks. The drug is manufactured by a Maryland Heights-based company.

As previously reported by Patch, Zephrex D was expected to be available in St. Louis area pharmacies in November.  It is now rolling out in Walgreens stores across the area and available at select Walgreens at this time.  Zephrex-D is manufactured by Maryland Heights-based Highland Pharmaceuticals. Westport Pharmaceuticals is a subsidiary of Highland. Paul Hemings, with Westport Pharmaceuticals, tells Patch, that in addition to Walgreens, Zephrex-D will be in two more major pharmacies in the St. Louis areas in the next week or two.   Hemings is holding off on making the two additional pharmacies public citing privacy agreements with the companies. Overall, Zephrex-D is only being sold in the St. Louis market, including St. Louis, St. …

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10 Most Read in St. Louis: Decapitated Baby, Hurricane Sandy, Food Trucks in St. Charles and More

Check out the 10 most read stories on Missouri Patch sites for the month of October.

1. Lawsuit Claims Baby Was Decapitated During Delivery at Mercy Sometimes, the news can be tragic. That was certainly the case in this report from Creve Coeur Patch.  According to a 10-count complaint filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court, a local couple claimed that doctors involved with the delivery of their baby coerced them into a vaginal delivery against their wishes and then hid the fact that their baby had been decapitated during the delivery process. The same story, posted on Florissant Patch (Florissant Couple Files Lawsuit, Claims Baby Was Decapitated in Delivery), also ranked among the most read stories in Missouri Patch. - - - - -  2. What Time is Tonight’s Obama v. Romney Presidential Debate? Patch has gone all-in this …

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Good News For Allergy Sufferers, Bad News For Meth Makers

The new decongestant Zephrex-D should be in St. Louis pharmacies this year. It's gaining support from drug task force agents because it can't be converted into meth. Here's how it works.

A new decongestant set to hit St. Louis area pharmacies in November is gaining support from drug agents in the fight against methamphetamine.  (Read Previous Story: Zephrex-D: Meth-Busting Decongestant in St. Louis Pharmacies This Year) As previously reportedly by Patch, authorities say meth makers purchase popular allergy medications and extract the pseudoephedrine from them.  "You can take a pseudoephedrine pill and the first thing you do is try and extract as much pure pseudoephedrine as possible and step two, you convert that pure pseudoephedrine into methamphetamine," Paul Hemings, with Highland Pharmaceuticals, tells Patch.  In November, Highland Pharmaceuticials is unveiling a new decongestant, Zephrex-D, that Hemings said prevents …

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Local Man Indicted for Making Meth

Police officer spotted meth ingredients inside a Maryland Heights man's car during a traffic stop.

A Maryland Heights man was indicted Friday by St. Charles County grand jury for attempting to make methampetamine. Matthew R. Smith, 30, of the 11800 block of Gay Glen in Maryland Heights, is charged with attempting to make methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance and use of drug paraphernalia. During a Jan. 3 traffic stop, a St. Charles Police patrolman saw that Smith had some items used to make meth. A search found deconstructed cold packs, muriatic acid, sodium hydrochloride and an improvised smoking pipe, according to a St. Charles County Drug Task Force report. The report said a field test on a substance was positive for methamphetamine. For more on related articles, see: Woman Charged After Having Multiple Meth Labs in …

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Is Meth Moving Into Your Neighborhood?

If you ask the president of the Missouri Narcotics Association whose been tracking meth down for more than 15 years, the answer is "Yes."

Franklin County Sheriff's Department Sergeant Jason Grellner makes finding meth his mission. He's the President of the Missouri Narcotics Association and the Unit Commander of the Franklin County Narcotics Unit which works in conjunction with the St. Louis County Drug Task Force. Grellner said meth started appearing in the St. Louis area in 1996, 20 years after the FDA changed the drug pseudoephedrine—a decongestant that is also the key ingredient for making meth—from a prescription drug to an over-the-counter product. The FDA made that change in 1976. "Missouri has been the leader in meth labs for over a decade. 2010 was the only year we weren't ranked number one, Tennessee took us over and we were back as number one in 2011," Grellner …

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High Problems: Meth Ingredient Sales Increase in Maryland Heights

"St. Louis Post-Dispatch" reported cold medicines, which can be used to make meth, grew 59 percent in Maryland Heights.

More people are buying cold medicines which have a potential to be used in creating meth. St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported pseudoephedrine drug sales grew by 59 percent in Maryland Heights. The article states also the cold medicine sale surge happened in St. Charles and Chesterfield. Walgreens spokesman Robert Elfinger told the news site that the sale increase was due to law abiding citizens, while Franklin Sheriff County Department's Sgt. Jason Grellner said the increase is due to meth chemists. If Grellner is right, meth isn't the only problem drug facing Maryland Heights. The St. Louis County Police held a forum in June at Pattonville High School to inform residents about a growing heroin problem. Police have seen several on the …

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