A box that contained methamphetamine, marked “Not Dope” on the outside, was found Friday inside the public library in town, Ironton Police say.

Officers also say a loaded syringe was found inside the box at the Briggs Lawrence County Public Library.

Library employee Rick Sturgill found the box while he was searching the library Friday morning. He said if the box was not labeled, he might have decided not to look inside. "It might've been smarter to say 'This is dope,'" Sturgill said.

“The unknown owner (as of now at least) had the brilliant idea to write ‘Not Dope’ on the cover of the container, as if this would throw off law enforcement in the event their stash was discovered,” Ironton Police posted on their Facebook account.

The department went on to say, “At face value this post may seem funny but in all seriousness can you imagine what could have happened had a child discovered this innocuous looking box?”

I've heard people around town saying they've found needles on a sidewalk, they found little bags of meth on a sidewalk where people have dropped it. Never in my life have I seen that must left so clearly in a public area," Sturgill said. "It could've been a bad situation if it got in the wrong hands."

The library is reviewing camera footage to see if they can spot who came in with the box. There were no suspects or arrests as of Friday afternoon.

To provide extra security in the future, the library is adding more cameras to the building.