Propane Tanks Used to Make Meth

It's another item found in your home and like cough medicine propane tanks are being used to make Methamphetamine.

Drug Experts say people are stealing tanks from places that fill them with propane and using them to store Meth.

 "It is a tremendous impact all the way around and that's what makes it, it's the totality it's all of the circumstances or all of the things that are involved that make it a number one drug threat," said Tommy Farmer the Tennessee Meth Task Force Director.

A threat that has virtually taken over the state of Tennessee. Now just one more thing to look out for... drug cooks who are using propane tanks and filling them with anhydrous ammonia to make Meth. Employees at one local hardware store fill tanks daily, but never even knew this method existed.

"Surprised. A little shocked that's even going that far just trying to keep an eye on everything and keep ahead of it and it's getting harder and harder everyday, "said Robert Strickland a Sales Associate at Ace Hardware.

Strickland says he recently saw someone come in and buy all their bags of ammonium sulfate another ingredient used to make Meth. But for propane tanks he doesn't know where to begin to spot a meth maker.

Experts say if you see a blue residue around the valve, that means somebody's used it to cook meth.

" Anhydrous has a reaction with the brass filling in it. There's discoloration and a color change to more of a blue fitting," said Farmer.

The drug task force says Tennessee has seen more of this recently because meth is not making it into the U-S. Instead, the dangerous drug is getting stopped at the border.

"With that in place that shifts a lot of the pressure back to domestic producers because there's still an addiction, there's still a problem," said Farmer.

A problem Farmer hopes workers like Strickland will be able to stop all by taking a closer look at propane tanks coming in.

The drug task force says making meth is not only illegal it's also extremely dangeorus. Experts say the tanks can explode anytime and cause damage to entire neighborhoods. The task force says getting rid of meth should be a community effort and they are working with other local agencies to make that happen.

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<"This is an older propane tank and this is what the new ones look like but experts say either way if you see a blue residue around the valve, that means somebody's used it to cook meth.">

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" Anhydrous has a reaction with the brass filling in it. There's discoloration and a color