7-Year-Old Turns Mom In: Fla. Woman Arrested For Cooking Crystal Meth, ‘Something Bad’


A 7-year-old Florida boy is being hailed as brave for turning in his mom for “cooking something bad,” most specifically, crystal meth.

Briana Buchanan was arrested by police in Edgewater Friday for allegedly cooking and using the illicit drug methamphetamine, according to My News 13. Authorities in Volusia County said the brave boy was disturbed about his mother’s behavior, and built up the courage to tell his uncle, only after some time had elapsed.

At the time of the meth arrest, Buchanan and her son were living with her boyfriend’s brother, who describes her child as someone he treats like a nephew. Apparently, the issue of trust allowed the boy to come forward with his mom’s activities and turn in the Florida woman.

He came up to me, and he said, ‘There’s really bad stuff in mom’s car that I want to show you,'” said the 7-year-old’s uncle, who only gave his first name as Peter.

The child led his uncle to the woman’s car parked outside their home and opened the trunk himself. There, in plain sight — and next to the boy’s toys — was evidence of drug paraphernalia used to cook crystal methamphetamine.

Horrified by what he had just discovered, Peter returned inside the home with the 7-year-old child and called 911 to report the crime and turn his mom into police.

“Her son, who’s 7, just told me she keeps bad stuff in her car, and he opened up the trunk, and she has a meth lab in her trunk,” Peter reported to the local 911 police operator, who told them to stay far away from the car for safety reasons.

The Foundation For A Drug Free World provides some drug facts about meth and speaks about the dangers of the substance.

Meth is commonly manufactured in illegal, hidden laboratories, mixing various forms of amphetamine (another stimulant drug) or derivatives with other chemicals to boost its potency. Common pills for cold remedies are often used as the basis for the production of the drug. The meth “cook” extracts ingredients from those pills and to increase its strength combines the substance with chemicals such as battery acid, drain cleaner, lantern fuel and antifreeze.

These dangerous chemicals are potentially explosive and because the meth cooks are drug users themselves and disoriented, they are often severely burned and disfigured or killed when their preparations explode. Such accidents endanger others in nearby homes or buildings.

The illegal laboratories create a lot of toxic waste as well—the production of one pound of methamphetamine produces five pounds of waste. People exposed to this waste material can become poisoned and sick.”

Police arrived a short time later and found a large quantity of items typically used in the cooking of the street drug. What is more — and perhaps, the most shocking — the 7-year-old boy explained in detail how his mother made the meth crystals from scratch.

Buchanan faces a number of charges, some of which include child neglect and the illegal possession of chemicals and delivery. Meanwhile, the boy who turned his mother in was placed in the custody of his grandmother. She says the child is relieved to be out of the disturbing situation and is looking forward to going back to school.

Meanwhile, according to police, matters for the 7-year-old’s mom can potentially get worse if she is charged with drug trafficking.

[Image via Wikimedia Commons]

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