Discovery marks Polk’s eighth lab in less than a year
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office discovered its fourth and fifth methamphetamine (meth) labs since the beginning of the year.

Officers said on Monday, June 4, two meth labs were discovered in the Hunting County area near Tryon. Materials to make meth were found on the side of River Road and more materials were found on property located on Appaloosa Lane.
A two-liter bottle was used to produce meth and was discarded on the side of River Road. A water bottle and what appeared to be a sports’ drink bottle were found approximately 20 to 30 feet from the Appaloosa Lane home, officers said.
Officers said the residents of the home have recently moved out of the area, so the investigation continues.
A sheriff’s investigator discovered the materials on the roadside Monday morning and then visited the Appaloosa Lane home to talk with the residents, who were not at home. While on the property, the investigator found the other materials in the yard along with other trash, which the suspects had attempted to burn, according to sheriff’s office reports.
The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) assisted the sheriff’s office and cleaned up the materials.
This is the eighth meth lab discovered in Polk County since August 2011.
The largest meth lab in Polk County’s history was discovered in August 2011 in Sunny View.
Another meth lab was discovered in Green Creek in early November and the county’s third meth lab was discovered in Lynn later in November 2011.
In January of this year, the sheriff’s office discovered three meth labs in the woods in Mill Spring.
Prior to the 2011 meth lab discoveries, no meth labs had been discovered in Polk County since 2007.
The meth labs discovered in Hunting Country were considered small and medium sized, and sheriff’s office reports said they used the method referred to as “shake and bake” to create the meth.