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Wilkes-Barre officials will research decontamination at two city properties raided recently.

What happens to methamphetamine lab properties like the two uncovered in Wilkes-Barre this week?

State police remove ingredients and equipment used to make the drug, but the state has no remediation law mandating decontamination of the structures, according to St. James Basinger, the Pennsylvania State Police clandestine lab coordinator.

“In other states they have to clean up and meet certain standards for people to go back and inhabit the residence. We don’t have that criminal law or standard,” Basinger said.

The state police lab team removes contaminated glass jars, beakers, heating plates, electric skillets and any other visible materials involved in manufacturing methamphetamine, Basinger said. These items are stored and either used as evidence or destroyed, he said.

Federal funding cuts have forced the state to cover the cost of this material removal, storage and disposal, he said. The state tries to recoup the expense from defendants, but they often have limited financial resources.

Once visible manufacturing materials are removed, state police hang signs on the doors of meth lab properties to alert the public that the sites may be contaminated, Basinger said.

State police also send certified letters to the local health department, state Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the property owner explaining that a meth lab or remnants of one had been found at that site and that it may still be contaminated, he said.

Studies have shown contamination remains in meth lab properties that are not properly scrubbed and cleaned, no matter how small the operation, Basinger said. State police don’t have the sophisticated equipment or staff required to assess contamination left in structures, he said.

Butch Frati, Wilkes-Barre’s director of operations, said he will ensure the meth lab properties on Regent Street and Blackman Street are cleaned up before anyone is permitted to occupy them, but he has to research what steps must be taken to accomplish that because it’s new territory.

“This is the first time we’ve dealt with a meth lab in the city, so we’ll proceed with caution and make sure all the bases are covered,” Frati said, noting he will have more specifics by Monday.

Wilkes-Barre residents Glen Kocher, his wife, Donna, and his girlfriend, Amanda Adamski, were arrested Thursday as part of an investigation into the sale and manufacture of the drug.

The Kochers face charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to deliver or delivery of a controlled substance. Adamski was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia and faces additional charges of resisting arrest and tampering with evidence.

Police uncovered meth labs at a Regent Street property that is owned by Frank and Jan Jones, according to property records. The site of the other meth lab, a Blackman Street double-block, is owned by Donna Kocher and Deborah Zaleski, county property records show.

Newport Township had two meth labs in recent years that were rented by the parties involved in drug manufacturing, and the township forced the property owners to pay to remove the contamination before the properties could be reoccupied, said township Police Chief Robert Impaglia.

The soil around the properties also had to be checked because meth lab operators often dump large quantities of residue left after cooking the drug, Impaglia said.

Contamination removal typically runs into thousands of dollars, experts say.

The process starts with testing to establish the extent of the contamination, said Severin Stephens, of Hudson, Ohio-based Bio Clean Services Inc., one of the companies that provide contamination removal in Pennsylvania.

Porous items – furniture, clothing, draperies – must be removed and discarded, he said. Hard surfaces are then washed down, and sealer is applied to bare wood, he said.

The site is then retested and cleaned again if necessary, he said, noting that the company follows EPA guidelines for decontaminating meth labs.