10/17/12 — Man charged in meth lab raid in Mount Olive

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Man charged in meth lab raid in Mount Olive

By John Joyce
Published in News on October 17, 2012 1:46 PM

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News-Argus/BOBBY WILLIAMS

Field agents from the State Bureau of Investigation label and catalog items recovered from a meth lab raid Tuesday.

MOUNT OLIVE -- The Goldsboro and Wayne County Interagency Drug Squad struck again Tuesday, this time in Mount Olive, making an arrest at a suspected meth lab.

The narcotics unit, acting on information developed throughout the course of an investigation, served a search warrant at 1165 W. Main St., the residence of Joseph Irven Powell Jr., 38.

"It was nothing overly elaborate as far as meth labs go, we have found bigger, but never as many locations on one piece of property," said Capt. Richard Lewis of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.

Officers and deputies, assisted by agents from the State Bureau of Investigation and the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles, searched the property after taking Powell into custody. On the premises, they found a stolen motorcycle and golf cart. They also found enough evidence of the recent manufacture of methamphetamines to charge Powell with six drug-related offenses.

Powell was held under a $250,000 secured bond for the charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, two counts of possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, trafficking opiates, possession with intent to sell and deliver methamphetamines and possession with intent to sell and deliver opiates.

He was given no bond for the three charges of manufacturing methamphetamines and maintaining a dwelling for the purposes of manufacturing meth.

No other charges or suspects are being developed at this time.