Crime & Safety
Nassau Man Was Running Drug Lab In His Garage: DA
His drug lab was discovered when he was found passed out naked on the lawn of his home, prosecutors said.
A Long Beach man was indicted today on charges of running a meth lab in the garage of his home on West Beech Street.
Jovin Weinstock, 41, was charged with two counts of third-degree unlawful manufacture of methamphetamine, first-degree reckless endangerment, criminal possession of precursors of methamphetamine, second-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree criminal possession of methamphetamine manufacturing material and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Weinstock is due back in court on Jan. 13. If convicted, he could face up to seven years in prison.
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“This defendant allegedly ran a clandestine drug lab out of his Long Beach home,” said Nassau County District Attorney Singas. “I thank the many first responders who secured the chaotic scene and ensured that no one was hurt by the potentially explosive chemicals allegedly found inside the house.”
Around 8 a.m. on May 10, Long Beach police officers responded to a call to Weinstock's West Beech Street home after a neighbor called that a naked man was sleeping in the yard. When they arrived, Singas said that police found Weinstcok passed out in respiratory distress.
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When the police entered Weinstock's home and garage, Singas said that they found lab equipment, a ventilation system, chemicals and an unknown substance in a flask that was being stirred on a hotplate.
Teams from multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the scene, including Nassau Fire Marshalls Hazmat, Nassau County Police Arson-Bomb Squad, State Police C-Cert Unit, the FBI and DEA. An FBI Special Agent Bomb Technician tested the unknown substance and found it to be a mixture containing nitrotoluene, a substance that can explode under certain conditions, Singas said.
A search of the home also uncovered 289 store-bought packaged tablets of Sudafed, Singas said )(which is used in making methamphetamine), hand-written chemical equations and notations for the creation of mitrotoluene and methaqualone (Quaaludes), instructions on how to manufacture methamphetamine, store-bought solvents, and 15 clonazepam pills.
The discovery of the lab led to the block being shut down for hours as officials investigated. Weinstock has since recovered from his injuries.
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