By PATRICIA MEADE

By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
BERLIN CENTER -- Telltale signs of a secret methamphetamine lab were found at the scene of a trailer fire at Lakeside Campground in Berlin Township, the sheriff's department says.
Methamphetamine -- called "speed," "meth," "ice" and "the poor man's cocaine" -- is an addictive stimulant manufactured in clandestine labs, which are usually small and utilize common household appliances, glassware and chemicals. It can be manufactured into pills, chunks or powder to be ingested, snorted or smoked.
Firefighters notified the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department after discovering the lab, which had been added onto the trailer with plywood, said Maj. Michael Budd. He said the fire, called in at 10:18 p.m. Monday, destroyed the trailer but not the attached lab.
Lakeside Campground is on Bedell Road, just 200 yards north of U.S. Route 224.
Budd said he asked for assistance this morning from the Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency and its director, Walter Duzzny. "We'll use a Haz-Mat team to clean up the chemicals," the major said.
The lot where the burned trailer sits was rented by a woman from Barberton and her car is still at the campground, Budd said. Two men were spotted fleeing last night when the fire, which may have been accidental, was spotted, he said.
Budd said investigators found propane tanks, beakers, chemicals, a work table and suspected methamphetamine residue in the makeshift lab. The propane tanks provide the heat to "cook" the drug, he said.
Budd said that, luckily, the fire didnot destroy the lab because fumes from the caustic and corrosive chemicals can be dangerous if inhaled.
About the drug
Methamphetamine Web sites show the ingredients often used are lantern fuel, cleaners, acetone, muriatic acid and small quantities of substances found in over-the-counter decongestants.
"We've had training and seminars about methamphetamine labs and heard that it was coming this way from the West Coast," Budd said. "It's a synthetic drug that gives a high similar to cocaine. Because it's cheap, a lot of kids use it."
Methamphetamine releases high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which stimulates brain cells, enhancing mood and body movement, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Doug Lamplugh, agent in charge at the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, said that, if confirmed, the lab at the campground is the 20th in this region for the fiscal year that runs from October 2002 to September 2003.
In that period, 15 labs were found in Ashtabula County, two in Portage, two in Mahoning (if the trailer-fire site is included) and one in Columbiana County. Last fiscal year, one lab was found in Trumbull and three in Ashtabula, he said.
meade@vindy.com