Gwinnett County sheriff's deputies discovered a large amount of methamphetamine Thursday night at an apartment complex near Duluth.
The suspected meth was found by deputies who went to the Idlewylde Apartments on Boggs Road to serve a search warrant after getting a tip about the alleged drug activity.
Sheriff's spokeswoman Stacey Bourbonnais said deputies found four to five gallons of liquid methamphetamine, approximately 158 grams of crystal meth and a semi-automatic weapon.
Deputies and special agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Homeland Security Investigation arrested three men, Cesar Sierro-Pinneda, Jorge Leon-Poldo and Canderleria Trinidad, and charged each with trafficking methamphetamine. Trinidad was also charged with possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime.
Agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration were called in to assist with the investigation, and a private hazmat cleanup crew was summoned to remove the liquid meth.
The apartment building was evacuated "until it could be deemed safe," Bourbonnais said.
One woman who lives near the apartment that was raided said she never noticed any suspicious activity at the apartment.
She said the first indication she had that something was wrong was when she spotted two Gwinnett County police officers at the scene.
"I never noticed anything" [before that], she said.
On Feb. 17, three children were killed in a Gwinnett County house fire that authorities said was fueled by liquid meth.
Staff photographer John Spink contributed to this article.
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