Two New Hampshire men were arrested this week after police said they found an illegal drug lab in an apartment where two young children were living.
Concord Police said they executed a search warrant on Tuesday at 19 Thorndike St., and found materials consistent with the cultivation and manufacture of hallucinogenic mushrooms. The operation was taking place in an apartment where two young children - ages 4 and 8 - reside and would have had direct access to the drugs.
Derek Milioto, 32, and Luke Robinson, 23, both of 19 Thorndike St., turned themselves in to police on Thursday after warrants were issued for their arrest.
Milioto is charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, one count of possession/manufacturing of controlled drugs and one count of possession of controlled drugs. He was ordered held on $5,000 cash bail.
Robinson is charged with one count of possession/manufacturing of controlled drugs and one count of possession of controlled drugs. He was ordered held on $2,000 cash bail.
Both Milioto and Robinson were scheduled to be arraigned in Concord District Court on Friday morning. It was not immediately known if they have lawyers.
Police said they first learned of the drug operation on Monday as the result of an anonymous tip alleging that the residents of 19 Thorndike St. were manufacturing and distributing hallucinogenic mushrooms and that the drug activity was taking place in the presence of young children.
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When they went to the building, police spoke to neighbors who said they smelled the odor of burning marijuana and there was frequently a high volume of pedestrian traffic going in and out of the apartment at 19 Thorndike St. The children were said to be away at the time and were not expected to return for another week.
Through surveillance camera footage and witness statements, police said they were able to corroborate the reports about multiple individuals visiting the apartment and the young children living there.
Among the materials police found in the apartment were a large pot of dark liquid on the stove, an industrial-style barrel containing liquid on the kitchen table, bags of soil, a container of grain and large sifting screens in the kitchen. They also found boxes of laboratory equipment containing glassware, growing lights and related items. In the basement were several containers with mushrooms and soil. In one bedroom, a large rack with 24 trays of soil and what appeared to be mushrooms was located, and there were large plastic containers that contained dried mushrooms.
Police said the investigation is ongoing, and additional charges and arrests could still be forthcoming.
