Travel trailer meth labs?!?!

fatmanobx wrote:
If meth is cooked in a camper, most likely it will be destroyed due to the chem.s that are used in cooking it.. I am kind of shocked that you are surprised that this happens. It's been going on for years.

I am surprised, ignorance is bliss I guess. Our family is just your average hard working family who has had to work hard for everything we have. I guess this event has reminded us that their are people who don't share those values, they prefer to just take someone else's things. We have State Farm covering the trailer, it's not full replacement and doesn't cover contents. I hope they will be fair to work with. The loss of the contents really stinks because we had saved and bought some nice things over time to make our camping experiences more comfortable. Things like the the Progressive industries EMS-HW30C unit I just installed myself, the equalizer hitch system, camping chairs, camping stove, light kits, carpet, screen room........all contents inside the trailer were not cheap. Maybe Marcus, the CEO at Camping World should have a program called "So Your Camper Was Just Stolen Discount Program". :)

I hope that you had good insurance on the RV.

THat is basically an agreement with your insurance agent to buy your RV if it is stolen or destroyed in a accident for a agreed upon price. If the police recover the RV in poor condition, you can still ask the insurance agent to keep the RV and pay you for it.

Many times when a car is partially destroyed, or a trailer hit with hail and has $8,000 in damage, you can buy it back from the insurance agent for a reasonable price. I don't know if I would want to camp in a very toxic used meth lab though. It is best to total that RV and get another one.

THe wheels can be locked up with a large cable going through the spokes. It only takes a few extra seconds to burn through that cable with a torch, just like the hitch lock, but perhaps they will look someplace else.

Then there are tracking units you can buy. One is a basic cell phone, and you can "Call" the tracker and track it's location just like tracking the GPS on the cell phone. You get a ATT monthly plan pay by the minute plan, and insert the card into the tracking device, insert the 3.7 volt battery, and hide it someplace on what you want tracked. You only use minutes while calling the tracker, and only need to use about 1 minute per call. As long as the RV gets parked someplace where it can pick up a cell signal, you can find it again. The police can fly over the area and find "Reasonable Cause" to go search for it on private property if they can spot it from the air. Reasonable cause is highly enhanced if you can show your tracker is located right under where they are looking.

The tracker that I bought was only $35. You own it and do not pay a monthly fee to maintain it. Only for the monthly pay by the minute phone, and you only need to activate it and use it once to test, then wait a few months before using it again.

Fred.

Unfortunately Meth labs have become common place. We have a new storage locker facility about a half mile down the road complete with security lights and cameras; still a couple of yahoos thought they could operate out of two adjoining lockers. The police caught them when the locker owner became suspicious.

Hope you get your trailer back unscathed.

Since we are new to the TT world we have our trailer insured for the purchased value, this was not true for our pop-up but we have a lot of experience with it.

Unfortinately, you can never replace the personal items and memories.

The cooks do not always park the rigs deep in the woods. Sometimes they park in the campsite right next to yours in the campground.

YES, they WILL steal a newer camper, park it somewhere, cook a couple batches and then drive away and abandon the whole thing only to do it again later somewhere else.

They might even steal a rig right out of a camp ground while the owner is out sightseeing. The thieves may also be in contact with the campground operator while they are in the process of hauling it out of the campground.


Several years back when I was hosting at a state park we got a directive down that we needed to be vigilant of people hooking up to rigs during the middle of the day with unfamiliar vehicles as someone had gone around and stolen at least two in the state in just such manner and had even spoken tot he camp host on the way out.

The camp host at our sister camp ground told me about a camper that received severe burns and needed medical treatment. The whole scenario seemed a bit suspicious so the camp host called the cops. The rig was later taken out of the park by the LEOs.

Thieves and drug addicts and drug dealers will expend more energy and resources to get that "quick" buck than they would if they had a regular job so do not discount anything they may do or may be capable of doing.

Hopefully you have decent insurance carrier who will simply buy it out. There is no way you will ever recoup the total loss of trailer and stuff, but get what you can and go shopping for a replacement.

If meth is cooked in a camper, most likely it will be destroyed due to the chem.s that are used in cooking it.. I am kind of shocked that you are surprised that this happens. It's been going on for years.

I sure do hope you find your RV. Sadly statistics state that most stolen vehicles are striped and parted within hours of being stolen.:(

But trust me the meth dealers don't steal new trailers. They 'find' broken down dilapidated ones deep in the woods and settle in making meth.
They certainly don't want to draw attention to themselves with new vehicles brought in and parked deep in the woods.:W

Looking at property down here in Florida for a couple of years and have run across many of them. Their new trick is to get into the foreclosed homes and start cooking until they are caught!

And, of course, you can always visit the Ocala National Forest if you have the need to meet all of them set up in their permanent residence there!! :B:B