FAIRHOPE, Alabama—Joshua Melvin Smith, 29, of Castleberry, was arrested Tuesday afternoon on charges of manufacturing a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.  At press time, he was in custody at the Baldwin County Corrections Center with a $52,000 bail.

A number of suspects, including Smith, reportedly working at a Fairhope construction site, were apprehended by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Task Force, in an investigation that began when employees of the Wind Chase Inn in Loxley called the police department there.

Several people were seen handcuffed and sitting in a parking lot on Greeno Road in Fairhope Tuesday afternoon, but only Smith’s arrest could be confirmed by press time.

“When they went in to clean the room, they smelled an overwhelming chemical odor,” said Loxley Police Department Sgt. Billy Coley. “They had concern for the other occupants in the hotel and did describe what turned out to be a meth lab.”

Coley said a search warrant was obtained and the room searched Tuesday morning.

“During the search, an active meth lab was not found, but every component for the manufacturing of methamphetamine was found,” he said. “It had been cooked in there the night before or early that morning.”

Information leading to Smith’s identity was found in the room, which was confirmed by the owner of the company that had leased that and two other rooms for its employees, said Coley, who did not immediately have the name of the company available.

“(The owner) gave us the location of where they were working in Fairhope,” Coley said. “He was very helpful and adamant about doing everything he could to assist.”

Coley said at least one other subject was arrested, but no other arrests could be confirmed by press time. Both the sheriff’s office, and Fairhope police, which provided backup to the sheriff’s task force Tuesday afternoon, referred inquiries to Loxley police.

“It happens often,” Coley said about meth lab operations being set up in hotels. “They can go in there and cook their meth that evening and leave out early the next morning.”