Predawn Raid Uncovers Meth Lab In Basement: Cops

ORLAND PARK, IL -- A predawn raid early Thursday uncovered a meth lab in an Orland Park home, where a 26-year-man was taken into custody, prosecutors said. Nicholas Fountas appeared before Cook County Judge John J. Mahoney on three felony counts of manufacture and delivery of methamphetamine. Fountas is also facing assorted misdemeanor charges, including aggravated manufacture and organization, and use of a structure for methamphetamine production, disposal of methamphetamine manufacturing and waste, and possession of methamphetamine making materials.

After receiving information that meth was possibly being produced and sold from a home in the 14100 block of Trenton Avenue, detectives launched an undercover operation investigating the reports. In January, undercover cops conducted three controlled buys of meth from a resident at the address, later identified as Fountas.

Early Thursday morning before dawn, Orland Park police officers along with the Illinois State Police SWAT and Meth Recovery teams executed a search warrant at the Fountas’ home, where he lives with his parents. Police said that investigators discovered a small scale meth lab in the basement. Also found were waste from previous meth cooks and hardware used in the meth cooking process. The search produced detailed notebooks providing handwritten recipes for meth production, including lists of ingredients, methods of cooking, diagrams, instructions and diary entries, according to the charges. Included in the diary was an entry dated Oct, 17, 2018, which read “My first meth cook, 5:07 p.m.”

Police said they also seized 100 grams of a liquid substance, which tested positive for methamphetamine. Fountas has had numerous run-ins with Orland Park police in the past, including an arrest for kicking an off-duty SWAT officer, burglary to a motor vehicle, and filing a false police report, the prosecutor said.

The judge ordered Fountas to be held without bail. Fountas is due back in court March 14 in Bridgeview.

Cook County State’s Attorney investigators and assistant state’s attorneys from the complex narcotics' division also provided assistance and equipment in the investigation.

Orland Park police said they would be hand-delivering fliers to nearby neighbors informing them of an active meth lab in the neighborhood.