Two Injured After ‘Home Drug Lab’ on Ayers Avenue in Commerce Catches Fire

On Wednesday, March 19, 2014, deputies from the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station responded to the 2300 block of Ayers Avenue, Commerce, regarding a call of a tree or transformer on fire. The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded as well, and once on scene, deputies and fire personnel found the home at the rear of the location on fire.

Fire personnel found two male adults, ages 18 and 21, inside the location. Both were transported to a local hospital for treatment of burn-related injuries.

The initial investigation has revealed a “butane honey oil extraction laboratory,” where marijuana is turned into hash oil or “honey oil.” Several butane bottles were located inside the home and it appears that one of these bottles may have exploded, causing the fire. Approximately $300,000 in damage was caused to the home.

Narcotics-related charges are pending for the two suspects who are currently hospitalized and the investigation is on-going by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Arson/Explosives Detail and the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Apprehension Crime Task Force (L.A. Impact).

The L.A. Impact program is one of the initiatives of the Los Angeles “high intensity drug trafficking area.” L.A. Impact seeks to anticipate and address critical law enforcement needs as they change. Since the inception, L.A. Impact’s main investigative focus has been one of the county’s major social problems: drugs and drug- related crime. It has also assisted local law enforcement with homicide, kidnapping, robbery and burglary investigations.

–Source Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department