Suspected Meth Lab Allegedly Held Explosive 'Shake-and-Bake' Bottles

Speaking at a neighborhood meeting Tuesday night, Somerville Police Chief Thomas Pasquarello said the contained evidence of a new and emerging type of methamphetamine production that involves small, highly volatile, potentially explosive batches of meth concocted in soda bottles—known as "shake-and-bake" bottles.

Unlike traditional methamphetamine production methods, which require a fair amount equipment and outdoor space and which emit a telltale odor, the new "shake-and-bake" method allows meth producers to make the drug in small, enclosed spaces that are easy to hide, and it cuts down on odors.

According to Pasquarello, when police and DEA agents searched 19 Oxford St. on Nov. 7, "we had five of these active bottles." It was these bottles that a state police explosives team detonated when observers and neighbors heard authorities yell, "Fire in the hole," followed by the sound of a small "pop" of an explosion.

The Nov. 7 search operation included members from the DEA's clandestine lab unit, which Pasquarello described as a highly specialized team, "almost the equivalent of SWAT" in terms of their level of specialization.

Pasquarello, who was a high-ranking DEA director before coming to Somerville, said "shake-and-bake" bottles are highly volatile, and they explode easily. The practice of using them is new to Massachusetts, having come to the state from other parts of the country.

It's "very, very uncommon for one of these meth labs to be seized in Massachusetts," Pasquarello said at Tuesday's meeting. "This is a unique case, and it is a unique opportunity for law enforcement, particularly in Massachusetts."

"We've been gearing up for this to hit New England for the past five years," he said.

The police chief said the soda-bottle method of producing meth "could be the wave of the future."

At Tuesday's meeting, police screened a local-news clip from KCCI in Iowa that described this new production method.

A broader case

Pasquarello said the search warrant executed at 19 Oxford St. was related to an ongoing federal investigation. On Monday, a prosecutor, speaking at an arraignment hearing for , said the search "was the result of an investigation that had been going on since August, I believe."

However, the presence of the alleged Oxford Street meth lab came to the attention of Somerville police only seven days before authorities searched the home on Nov. 7, said Pasquarello. 

"We were actually fortunate that we hit this house when we hit it," he said.

At Tuesday's neighborhood meeting about the matter, held at , the police chief said the safety of neighbors and the neighborhood was "the first area of concern" in the operation, which is why police acted seven days after learning about the alleged lab and why they entered the residence at about 9:45 a.m., after most people had gone to work. Usually, authorities conduct such operations early in the morning, while people are asleep.

What happens with 19 Oxford St.?

Some Oxford Street neighbors, speaking at Tuesday's meeting, had questions about the safety of the 19 Oxford St. property and the potential danger from the chemicals allegedly found at the home.

Edward Nuzzo, superintendent of the Somerville Inspectional Services Division, said the department was going to commission an air quality test at the home and "possibly take over this house, possibly condemn this house, maybe even take it down." 

Speaking after the meeting, two neighbors said they were pleased with how the city has dealt with the matter.

That said, "I don't feel safe at the moment with the house there," said Jeff Mancarella. "I'm just hoping they work pretty fast to get it solved."

Ongoing investigation

Pasquarello stressed "this is an active criminal investigation." He indicated more arrests could come in the future, and investigators won't know for sure what possible chemicals and drugs were at the home until official lab results come back.

The man charged with running the lab, .