METH LAB ALSO WAS RAIDED IN SEPTEMBER

The Smyrna house described by federal agents as a methamphetamine "super
lab" was the scene of another major drug raid in September.

And six years ago, the homeowners had to forfeit nearly $50,000 as part of
a separate drug case, according to federal court documents.

Last September's raid capped a nine-month investigation into a Mexican drug
cartel. Federal agents arrested one man and found 400 pounds of marijuana,
as well as guns and chemicals and equipment used to make meth, the
documents show.

Then, two weeks ago, federal agents once again raided the brick ranch home
at 200 Church Road.

This time, agents say, they found a lab capable of producing more than 10
pounds of meth a day. Agents arrested three men and seized 39 pounds of
meth and 11 pounds of a more refined form of the drug, known as "ice."

Myra and Gonzalo Quintero, who live in Alpharetta, have owned the home on
Church Road since 2001.

At the time of both raids the Quinteros were renting their home and neither
was charged.

In 1999, however, the couple forfeited $48,406 in another federal drug
case, according to court records.

The files in that case are in storage and were not available Wednesday,
said Patrick Crosby, a spokesman for U.S. Attorney David Nahmias. Crosby
would not comment further.

Several phone messages left for Myra Quintero on Wednesday were not
returned. The couple was not home earlier in the day and no one answered
the door at their Alpharetta home Wednesday night.

The Sept. 22 raid at the home owned by the Quinteros grew out of a larger
investigation in which federal agents arrested 60 people and seized 10,000
pounds of marijuana and nearly $3.5 million in cash, according to federal
court documents.

After the Feb. 9 raid, agents said the Church Road home was the site of the
first methamphetamine "super lab" discovered in the Southeastern United States.

Since that raid, soil samples have been taken from the yard and surrounding
homes. Sewer lines have been flushed all the way to a pumping station, and
a red warning sign is posted on the front door.

Even though agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration have removed
the drugs, manufacturing supplies and ingredients used to make
methamphetamine, there is still plenty to do --- and uncertainty among
neighbors.

They're concerned that chemicals left behind may harm their children or
grandchildren.

Staff writer Henry Farber and news researcher Alice Wertheim
contributed to this article.
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