Meth Lab Next Door: Dogged Neighbor Aids in Bust

Ophelia Lee Wilson never could get used to the smell.

It would waft into her apartment on Hickory Lane in Ladson from her air vents in the bathrooms. At night, she would cover vents with towels — trying to keep the noxious smell of chemicals from seeping in.

Wilson, known to friends and neighbors as "Dallas," had never smelled methamphetamine before, but she had her suspicions. When the smell would drift into her house from apartment B next door, she'd call the Dorchester County deputies and the fire department.

"I didn't know what meth smelled like and all I know is something was coming out of my vents," Wilson said.

But, by the time law enforcement would arrive, the smell would be gone — and with it went probable cause. Knocks on the neighbor's door went unanswered. 

Wilson wasn't alone in her complaints, the neighbor in apartment C also complained.

For months, their concerns went unanswered — not because the deputies didn't believe her but because there was no evidence to enter the apartment.

"It's not like the officers didn't believe me," Wilson said.

Meanwhile, Wilson said she experienced headaches, elevated blood pressure and memory loss, all things she now attributes to the chemicals brewing just on the other side of her living room wall. 

And then, on Valentine's Day, Wilson stayed home from work. 

On that day, the smell got so bad, a neighbor became nauseous walking into Wilson's house.

"It was overwhelming," she said.

By the time authorities arrived, they had their probable cause. They wore white hazmat suits and masks to enter the building. It took hours for law enforcement to clear the building of methamphetamine equipment. 

Click here to read about the meth lab bust here.

"Now I know what meth smells like," Wilson said. "I was thinking, I don't believe this. You see something like this on CSI."

Wilson said she's lucky she was home that day.

"That was a blessing," she said. "I count it as a blessing that I was home."

Wilson lives with her sister, who stays home during the day. Wilson was worried without her there, her sister could have succumbed to the fumes. 

Now comes the tough part: removing the chemicals that Wilson alleges has made her sick. Buildings where methamphetamine is manufactured used to be condemned, but according to Dorchester County Sheriff's Office PIO Maj. John Garrison, that is no longer the case. While the county hazmat team will remove and destroy evidence, final cleanup is the responsibility of the homeowner.

"At first, I thought about moving but why should I move? I like my place and I like my neighbors," Wilson said.