BAY MINETTE – A Magnolia Springs man has received a life sentence for operating a methanphentamine lab in his residence.

Last week, 53-year-old Fredrick Lee Brown received the sentence for the operation of the lab from his Magnolia Springs mobile-home closet.

Brown was convicted of the offense in September following a May 2011 arrest on the charge of first-degree manufacture of a controlled substance, Baldwin County District Attorney Hallie Dixon said.

Assistant District Attorney Brett Anderson, who prosecuted the case, said that Baldwin County Sheriff’s Deputies Justin Correa and David Hill were investigating a report from dispatch on the suspected lab when they smelled chemicals emanating from the open back door of Brown’s mobile home.

“Upon entering the home to clear it for safety purposes, deputies discovered Brown, as well as five other individuals and the meth lab secreted in a closet,” he said.

Baldwin County Drug Task Force Officers Michelle Oliver and Michael Landenwich were called in to disable the lab. Brown ultimately confessed to being one of the two “meth cooks” in the operation, and two other individuals supplied pseudoephedrine, an essential ingredient in the potent and highly addictive drug.

“Mr. Brown said that everyone in the trailer was going to be getting some of the final product, including a pregnant female,” Anderson said.

“In light of the serious consequences of meth addiction, the corrosive effect on individuals and families, and the rapid growth of meth production labs, we must send a strong and clear message,” Dixon said. “A life sentence does exactly that.

“All of the law enforcement officers involved in drug enforcement put their lives on the line,” Dixon continued, “particularly those officers with the Drug Task Force who encounter toxic fumes and unstable chemicals in an effort to dismantle these labs. I am grateful for their courage and expertise, and our highly capable prosecution team in our Drug Unit. It takes a real team effort between law enforcement and the DA’s Office to make a dent in the drug trade.”