CASS COUNTY — Meth labs remain a big problem around the area. Police say they're seeing a lot of meth making materials dumped in rural ditches and fields. Those meth lab dump sites are dangerous, and police want people to know what to look for should they ever stumble across one.

The sites look like any other trash dumped along a country road. But what’s inside bags at a meth dumping site could be deadly. In fact, investigators say it’s all hazardous material.

WSBT obtained police photos of real meth dumping sites found in Cass County. Hundreds of miles of rural roads make the area an easy target.

Duane Rauschenberger has lived in rural Cass County for six years. He said he doesn’t know the answer to the problem, but he does know about the devastating effects of meth. Rauschenberger worked as a corrections officer and in mental health for several years.

"Methamphetamine has gotten so cheap that it's become the drug of choice for people,” he said. “It addicts very rapidly, it damages, people's teeth just seem to fall out and they age 40 years in five."

Local drug investigators say that addiction also means meth makers are constantly running from the law, and dumping their evidence on private property. An even bigger problem: people who live in rural areas are finding the labs.

Detective Sgt. David Toxopeus works with the Cass County Drug Enforcement team. He wants people to know what meth dump sites look like.

“You’re going to see burnt tin foils laying on the ground, coffee filters is what they're using in the process to dry the methamphetamine,” he told WSBT.

Coleman fuel, peeled lithium batteries, salt and household cleaners are also byproducts of meth, Toxopeus said. He also warned if people ever see any type of plastic soda bottle with a tube coming out of it, they should not touch it or go near it.

Duane Rauschenberger hasn’t found any meth dumping sites near his home yet, but he knows it could happen any day.

If you ever come across something you believe could be a meth dumping site, you should call police immediately. Once local investigators get there, they have to contact the DEA who is in charge of cleaning everything up.

Cass County voters passed a millage in 2005 to help prosecute meth users. They say it has helped fight the problem. That millage allowed the sheriff’s department to hire a full time narcotics prosecutor and five full time drug investigators. That program also helps pay to educate the public about meth and for drug counseling for first time offenders.