A federal judge sentenced a 28-year-old man who admitted operating a makeshift methamphetamine laboratory in an Anne Arundel County home last year to serve 10 years in prison.
In U.S. District Court in Baltimore, Christopher Marshall, 28, of Stevensville also received five years of probation after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
The problem of methamphetamine labs, considered by law enforcement to be prone to explosion and potentially toxic for years afterward, has grown significantly in Maryland in recent years. Though the number of labs busted last year dropped nationwide, and Maryland is not considered a hotbed of meth distribution, state officials said they saw a significant increase from 2004 to 2005 and unearthed two more labs this year.