Charleston , Kanawha County , West Virginia

People living in apartments at 410 Elm Street on Charleston's Westside are looking for a place to stay.

"They're putting us out because they have to shut down our apartments," said neighbor William Lawson, "Because they got a meth lab upstairs."

Charleston police say they found a meth lab in one of the apartments after keeping a close eye on the residents.

Police say they saw a man and woman leaving the apartments in a truck with a suspicious package around 10 Thursday night.

They pulled the two over and say they found meth making materials.

Upon further investigation, police say they also found a meth lab in on of the apartments.

Seven other people were arrested in addition to the two earlier arrests from the truck.

For neighbors, like Anthony Burdette, it's a drug problem not only affecting those arrested, but those living close by.

"I was actually surprised to see how many people was actually pulled out," said Burdette, "And especially the females, that really shocked me. And they looked fairly young. I don't know, it's disheartening. It really is."

And for those living in the same complex, they say they are forced to leave behind their home and find a new place as the clean up begins.

"It kind of makes me real mad because like I said I'm about to be off parole and here is a situation. the whole time I was on parole didn't have nobody call on me, had no troubles, no nothing," said Lawson, "I had to deal with police because of somebody else. They running a meth lab. And I got to find somewhere to stay and let him know where I'm at, where I'm going."

Lawson and Burdette are now both dealing with consequences of a crime they did not commit.

But Burdette says there's one solution to the problem.

"You've got good neighbors, but you've got dirt in between and if you cleaned out the dirt, you'd have a good street."

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Nine people were arrested overnight in Charleston after police said they made a big drug bust.

Police arrested Tara Phillips, Sara Byrd, Richard Cruz, Lawson Moss, Natalie Brown, Courtney Ferrell, Joseph Myers, Michael Moss and Riley Mitchell, according to criminal complaints filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.

All are charged with operating or attempting to operate a meth lab.

Special enforcement detectives said they came to a residence at 410 Elm St. about 9:30 p.m. Thursday and saw a male apparently packaging suspected narcotics and observed him getting into a pickup with a second suspect. Officers followed the truck and stopped the vehicle. The complaint said police found Sudafed, coffee filters, a needle and a knife on Mitchell. Inside the truck, police said, they found methamphetamine-making materials. Police said they arrested Mitchell and Michael Moss.

Meanwhile, officers early Friday morning at the same residence said they saw Lawson Moss handling a Mountain Dew container with tubes coming out and pouring fuel-line antifreeze into glass jars and shaking them. Police said they also saw him putting white powder into clear bags. They called the drug unit and officers could smell a chemical odor when they arrived. After a sweep of the house, the other seven suspects were arrested.

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Police make a big drug bust overnight in Charleston.

In all, nine people were arrested.

Police arrested Tara Phillips, Sara Byrd, Richard Cruz, Lawson Moss, Natalie Brown, Courtney Ferrill, Joseph Myers, Michael Moss and Riley Mitchel.

All are charged with operating or attempting to operate a meth lab.

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