STRUTHERS, Ohio (WKBN) — A Riffle Street man is in the Mahoning County Jail on drug charges after reports said police found a drug lab in his home while serving a search warrant for the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force.
Michael Gonzalez, III, 36, is expected to be arraigned later Friday in municipal court on felony charges of illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs, a third-degree felony; illegal production or cultivation of drugs, a second-degree felony; and aggravated possession of drugs, a third-degree felony.
Reports said when members of the task force began searching the home at about 9:15 a.m. they found a loaded handgun as well as material that could be used to make and store marijuana.
Gonzalez was the target of the search warrant, reports said, and a family member is a convicted felon and not allowed to have a gun, reports said. Because the gun and the other items were found, an officer typed a separate search warrant to search for more evidence of drugs, and the warrant was approved by a judge.
Police found materials to make DMT, a drug that is similar to LSD, and several mushrooms.
Reports said when questioned by police, Gonzalez admitted to manufacturing DMT.
Charges from the warrant served by the human trafficking force are pending. Several items for that investigation were seized and will be tested, reports said.
Gerry Ricciutti contributed to this report.
