Two arrested on methamphetamine charges in upscale St. Johns County neighborhood

Police arrested two people on several felony drug charges after St. Johns County police raided a suspected meth lab in an upscale neighborhood. Neighbors had notified police about suspicious activity and detectives converged about 9 a.m. on a Friday morning last month and arrested two of the occupants, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. Police said the occupants were not making the drug at the time, but there was evidence that methamphetamine had been cooked and produced there in the past, the newspaper reported. David Austin and Kayleigh Wyman were both arrested and charged with possession and production of methamphetamine, maintaining a drug dwelling and possession of drug paraphernalia in this St. Johns County Drug Crimes Case, the newspaper reported.

Possession and production of methamphetamine is a second-degree felony in Florida with a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison and is the most serious of the charges the two are facing. Maintaining a drug dwelling is a third-degree felony with a maximum penalty of five years in state prison and possession of drug paraphernalia is a misdemeanor that only qualifies for time in the county jail. Police were at the house with a tent and the hazardous materials unit, cleaning near the townhouse to get rid of the poisonous chemicals used to manufacture the drug, the newspaper reported. Methamphetamine labs have been prevalent recently in some of the counties right outside Jacksonville. And while they are more common in hotels and apartment complexes, this isn’t the first time a meth lab has been uncovered in a more residential area. The fumes that are emitted from the production of the drug can be lethal, and also carry a distinct odor than can make it difficult to hide from neighbors and from law enforcement.

Methamphetamines crimes are becoming more and more common in St. Johns County, where authorities have taken an aggressive approach to investigating the crimes and targeting the manufacturing of the dangerous drug. All penalties and charges in St. Johns County Drug Crimes Cases hinge on two key factors: the type of drug and the amount. Methamphetamine carries among the most severe penalties of any drug, as there is no such thing as a misdemeanor possession of methamphetamine. Any amount is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison, as opposed to a drug such as marijuana, where anything up to 28 grams is a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of up to a year in the county jail. Our St. Johns County Drug Crimes Attorney represents defendants facing any and all drug charges from possession of marijuana on up to producing or trafficking in methamphetamine and cocaine.

If you or a loved one needs a criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a FREE CONSULTATION. Our St. Johns County Drug Crimes Attorney, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.