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Ari Lleshi

PITMAN — A borough man was arrested Friday on charges he operated a methamphetamine lab in his garage.

Police said Ari Lleshi, 24, admitted to producing the highly addictive drug when questioned.

Lleshi was allegedly caught in the act after a caller just before 2 p.m. reported a male wearing blue shorts and a blue shirt was walking in other residents' backyards around the unit block of Lexington Avenue and acting suspiciously.

Sgt. Gregg W. Owens and Ptl. Nicholas J. Barbetta responded and began searching the area. They reported hearing loud noises coming from a wood garage behind a home in the unit block of Columbia Avenue and seeing a man — soon identified as Lleshi — inside and matching the caller's description.

Owens and Barbetta said the accused was mixing clear liquids in a glass jar. They also reported a strong odor of burnt marijuana and said they spotted a green and clear glass device used to smoke it right next to him.

The officers arrested Lleshi and allegedly saw a blue and white backpack on the floor near another glass jar with clear liquid. Inside were items including beakers, tubes, a small food processor and "numerous bottles of chemicals," police said.

A strong chemical odor was emanating from the backpack, they added. Police also reported finding a glass vial with a "white, course, rock-like substance" they later confirmed was methamphetamine.

The backpack was taken to a parking lot at the police station to be examined further. There, the Gloucester County Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Response Team tested several of the chemicals in the bag and found they were hazardous, police said.

The HAZMAT team also confirmed the substances were the types used to make methamphetamine, they added. The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office Guns, Gangs and Narcotics Task Force, state police HAZMAT response unit and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) helped investigate and dispose of the alleged methamphetamine.

The state police HAZMAT team also remediated Lleshi's garage to ensure it was safe. The team seized other items police said are used in meth labs, along with several chemical compounds.

In all, Lleshi was charged with operating a methamphetamine production facility, recklessly creating the risk of widespread damage or injury, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school (Kindle Elementary), manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal trespass.

He was committed to the Salem County Correctional Facility in default of $150,000 full cash bail.

Borough Police Chief Robert Zimmerman said Lleshi during questioning "confessed that his intent was to distribute the narcotics once they were produced.

"Methamphetamine labs are a rarity in the South Jersey area," the chief continued. "It's my understanding that this was the first of its kind located here in Gloucester County in many years.

"Sgt. Owens and Ptl. Barbetta went above and beyond the call of duty," Zimmerman added. "Their proactive efforts shut down a meth lab and rendered our community safe from what could have been a very serious situation."

The amply shaded block on which Lleshi lives, lined with quaint bungalows, was quiet early Monday afternoon. Neighbors — if they were home — did not answer knocks at their doors seeking comment.

According to the non-profit Foundation for a Drug-Free World, meth addiction is one of the hardest to treat. Many addicts have said they became hooked from the first time they used it.

The drug can be taken orally, smoked, snorted, or mixed with water or alcohol and injected. It produces a euphoric effect and can lead to violent behavior.

In the short term, meth can cause insomnia, confusion, paranoia, aggressiveness, visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions and perhaps convulsions that lead to death.

Long term, it can cause strokes or cardiovascular collapse, as well as damage to many other organs. Meth can bring brain damage that results in memory loss and difficulty grasping abstract thoughts.