HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Investigators said they found a suspected drug lab inside a townhome in Aldine.
Officials with the Harris County Fire Marshall’s Office said they discovered it while putting out a fire in the Pine Village apartment complex.
The family who lives next door said they’re happy no one was injured, but stunned by what authorities discovered next door: Nearly $2 million worth of heroin; 95 pounds of methamphetamine, with a street value of nearly $900,000; possibly four pounds of the deadly fentanyl; an AR-15 rifle; a handgun and one Body Armor Vest.
Resident Lesly Olvera said around 9 p.m., she smelled smoke coming from next door and alerted her dad.
“He went up to the attic and all he could see was smoke,” Olvera told KHOU. Olvera and her family, which includes her 6 month-old sister, made it out safely.
Their home, however, has no roof, and they are staying with relatives.
Firefighters were able keep the flames from spreading to other homes, including neighbor Rosalba Sanchez’s townhome. She said she came home after her nurse’s shift to a chaotic scene.
“Everything was burning right there,” Rosalba said.
Neighbors said the apartment where investigators found hordes of illegal substances is abandoned.
“I was in shock because, like I said, nobody lives there,” Olvera said. She added that she does not see people coming and going there, either. “No, never.”
There are concerns in this complex that drug activity is on the rise in the area. Olvera noted that other abandoned homes have gone up in flames recently. Some say it’s scary, but not surprising, that an alleged meth lab was discovered.
Authorities said no arrests had been made as of Thursday evening. They’re still investigating who the drugs and guns belong to.