Doraville police bust rolling meth lab on I-285

By Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Police found a blender and cooler tucked in the backseat of a Gwinnett County man's car.

But he wasn't making margaritas.

“He was definitely manufacturing meth inside the car,” Doraville police spokesman Callaway said.

Police say a K-9 officer halted a rolling meth lab on I-285 Wednesday.

Thomas Christian Johns, 30, of Lawrenceville, is now being held in the Doraville jail on charges of trafficking, manufacturing and distributing meth.

Doraville Officer Marcella Nelson stopped an Acura Integra on 285 between the Buford Highway and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard exits shortly before noon. The car was stopped because the driver was not wearing a seat belt, Doraville Police spokesman Gene Callaway said.

"As she approached the vehicle, she noticed a strong smell of chemicals," Callaway said.

She also saw about a dozen electrical plugs coming from the cigarette outlet, police said.

The officer ran Johns' registration and learned he was wanted on an outstanding warrant for traffic charges, Callaway said.

The officer asked Johns for consent to search the car, but he denied it. That's when the officer walked her K-9 Dak around the outside of the car.

The officer summoned Drug Enforcement Administration agents after Dak alerted drugs. Officers dressed in hazardous materials suits searched the car and products to make meth, including drain cleaner, battery acid and a blender. They also found about a half of a gram of the meth, Callaway said.

Westbound traffic was blocked on I-285 for about an hour while police dismantled the car. Officers say they are fortunate the meth did not ignite.

“The danger of that is that in this process if the bottle is disturbed or broken, it can generate a three-foot flame,” Callaway said. “That can be pretty dangerous is you’re driving 60-mph on the interstate. It can burn him and cause a major wreck.”