Kevin Lewis was allegedly operating a meth lab in the trunk of his vehicle while driving in Glocester
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Kevin Lewis, 40, of Glocester, R.I., was ordered detained in federal custody following an initial appearance in federal court in Providence today on charges of manufacturing and possessing methamphetamine (meth) with the intent to distribute, announced United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha, Glocester Police Chief Joseph S. Delprete and Michael Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Division.
On Tuesday, a Glocester patrol officer stopped a vehicle being driven by Lewis, knowing that an active arrest warrant for Lewis had been issued by the Rhode Island Family Court. During the traffic stop, the officer saw on the back seat of the vehicle materials he recognized as items allegedly used in the production of meth. The officer also detected a strong odor of acetone, which is associated with the production of meth.
After placing Lewis in custody on the arrest warrant, police requsted of Lewis’ wife, who was a passenger in the vehicle, that she drive the vehicle to the Glocester Police Department while under police supervision. A subsequent search of Lewis’ vehicle by members of the Glocester Police Department, the R.I. DEA Drug Task Force and the DEA Clandestine Laboratory Tactical Team allegedly resulted in the discovery and seizure from the trunk of the vehicle a batch of meth in the process of being produced. They also seized three hydrochloric acid gas generators used in the production of meth, a completed one-pot meth cook and additional items used in the production of meth.
Glocester Police and members of the DEA Clandestine Laboratory Tactical Team also conducted a court authorized search of a vehicle parked behind Lewis’ Glocester residence where they allegedly discovered numerous items used in the manufacture of meth.
Lewis is charged by way of a federal criminal complaint with one count each of manufacturing methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerard B. Sullivan.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
