Manchester Man Busted with Mobile Meth Lab

A defective taillight traffic stop led state troopers to busting what they call a mobile methamphetamine lab inside a Dodge Caravan, according to a press statement.

Derrick D. Hentschel, 32, of Manchester, was arrested on April 23, 2015, on a warrant as well as two counts of attempted manufacture of methamphetamine, two counts of possession of a narcotic drug, and two counts of transportation of a controlled drug in a motor vehicle.

A trooper pulled over the Dodge Caravan at around 10 p.m. last night as it was driving eastbound on Route 101 in Hampton for a defective taillight.

A check of Hentschel’s license yielded an active warrant out of Claremont District Court for failure to appear on a simple assault charge. He was taken into custody and the vehicle was towed from the scene.

During an inventory, however, state police allege that they “discovered narcotic drugs, drug paraphernalia, and items that were consistent with the manufacture of methamphetamine.” Troopers stopped the inventory process and applied for a search warrant, which was granted later in the evening.

The New Hampshire State Police Explosives Ordinance Department as well as the United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement Team were also called in to investigate and later, issued charges against Hentschel.

Hentschel was arraigned today and held on $15,000 cash bail.

According to state police, Hentschel was on parole after a conviction in 2011 for manufacture of methamphetamine. He was also featured in a New Hampshire Public Radio report from 2013 about the growing spread – and fear – of meth in the Granite State.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the New Hampshire State Police. It does not indicate a conviction. Click this link to find out how to get a name removed from a New Hampshire Patch police report.