Police find meth lab, heroin in Salem home

The Columbiana County Drug Task Force recovered methamphetamine, a meth lab, chemicals to manufacture meth, scales, packaging material, heroin and drug paraphernalia during a search of a Homewood Avenue home Thursday.

This was the second meth lab uncovered by DTF agents with assistance from Salem Police in a week. On Jan. 22, they executed a search warrant at 162 W. Pershing St. and seized meth, a meth lab, chemicals to manufacture meth and drug paraphernalia.

During the search at 921 Homewood Avenue, one of the occupants of the residence, Judson T. Edling, 28, was taken into custody on a warrant out of Columbiana County for a probation violation.

According to a press release issued by Detective Lt. Brian McLaughlin, director of the DTF, further charges are pending related to the methamphetamine operation. Charges had also been pending against other individuals related to the recent meth lab discovery on West Pershing Street, pending lab results.

In recent years, several meth labs have been busted in Salem. Last year, DTF agents and police executed search warrants on a house on West Pershing Street twice. The house was a different location than the most recent search on West Pershing Street.

"If it looks like there's a lot of drugs in Salem, that's because we're going after them," Salem Police Chief J.T. Panezott said during a recent interview.

The department has one officer assigned full-time to the DTF and another one assigned full-time to the Drug Enforcement Administration out of Youngstown. Panezott said both officers do an excellent job. He said the DTF, which he served for several years as its first director, also does an excellent job.

He said the city has a meth problem like everyone else does. If people are cooking meth in Salem, he said they can count on seeing the police.

He reiterated what he's said all along to the public. If something does not look right, call the police to check it out.