Father And Son Arrested On Drug Charges

The skull and cross-bone warning labels on these bottles of drain cleaner should have told Terry Merchant and his son Derek they were playing with "fire." Investigators say the men mixed the drain cleaner with other dangerous chemicals inside their Elberta home to make crystal meth.

"These guys were mixing it up in their sink," says Capt. Steve Arthur with the Baldwin Co. Sheriff's Office. "As you can see the different chemicals the Coleman fuel, the drain cleaner, the battery acid, it's very volatile and very dangerous."

Investigators arrested the Merchants on several drug charges. Officers also confiscated 25 marijuana plants they believe the men were growing nearby.
Neighbors living near the Merchants say they're fed up with the problems down the road.

"It's one thing if they were selling a little bit of weed," says Ron Dekok. "Okay, I'll look the other way, but not meth. It's dangerous, we all know it's dangerous, it destroys people's lives."

Since 2002, Derek Merchant has been arrested at least 11 times. His father, Terry, was booked in 2002 on DUI charges.