The police says that two men have been arrested last Tuesday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa after they found components for a meth lab stashed inside Taco Bell.
According to Cedar Rapids public safety spokesman Greg Buelow, The officers went to the restaurant that was at 2621 Blairs Ferry Road NE, at 4:42 a.m. after receiving a report about a suspicious person.
The Cedar Rapids Police Department says Taco Bell was closed at the time, but the officers found the two men outside the restaurant and one identified himself as a Taco Bell employee. The police then called the restaurant's manager to the scene and escorted him inside to check it out.
The authorities say that they found the remnants of a meth lab in the utility area. It was unsure however if meth had actually been cooked inside the restaurant.
The two men were identified a Christopher Adam Matous, 31, and Kent Jerome Duby, 56. They two men are in police custody and facing charges of felony. Specifically, Matous now faces charges of conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of sodium hydroxide and petroleum distillates. On the other hand, Duby, faces a charge of conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine.
Furthermore they restaurant has released a statement in their website that says, "We understand that two people, one an employee, entered our franchisee's restaurant illegally, allegedly possessing suspicious items. Both we and our franchisee find this completely unacceptable. Our franchisee has been cooperating with Cedar Rapids Police to investigate this isolated incident. Although the suspicious items found in the restaurant were not used in the kitchen, the employee has been terminated and our franchisee is considering pressing criminal charges. The restaurant will reopen after it has been sanitized and inspected by the Health Department."
The restaurant was closed for the entire Tuesday as authorities wearing hazardous materials suits examine the area for more traces of illegal substance.
