SOUTH POINT — Three men and one woman have been arrested at a South Point apartment following the discovery an alleged “shake-and-bake” meth lab by Lawrence County Sheriff’s Deputies.

Shortly before midnight deputies brought to the Lawrence County Jail Nathan D. Boyd, 24, of 223 Township Road 1186, South Point, charged with the manufacture/cultivation of illegal drugs, a felony 2 charge; Roberta L. Boyd, 43, of the same address, charged with the manufacture/cultivation of illegal drugs; Tyler Adkins, 19, of 95 Township Road 1041 Chesapeake, charged with the manufacture/cultivation of illegal drugs; and William Gore, 45, of 204 Thelma Ave., South Point, charged with the manufacture/cultivation of illegal drugs and a failure to appear warrant on a previous case.

The investigation conducted by the deputies began after the sheriff’s office received an anonymous call at 6:45 p.m. Thursday of a strange odor coming from a residence at the Lawrence Commons Apartments, according to a release by Lawrence County Sheriff Jeff Lawless.

“The anonymous caller requested that we check on the well-being of minor children who may be inside this apartment,” the release stated.

When the deputies arrived on scene at 223 Township Road 1186, they could smell what they described as a strange odor. They asked the occupants of the apartment if they could search the premises. That request was granted.

The deputies found a 20-ounce soda bottle, rubber tube and allegedly the ingredients to make meth, according to the release.

Assistance was requested from a deputy who is trained in identifying and cleaning up meth labs. Perry Township Fire Department was also called in.

“This deputy did confirm that meth was actively cooking inside this bottle,” the release stated.

The four are scheduled to appear for arraignments in Lawrence County Municipal Court in Chesapeake this morning.

“We are seeing more meth,” Lawless said on Friday morning. “The ingredients are easy to get their hands on. It doesn’t take an Einstein to cook this stuff unfortunately. Now that it is becoming harder for people to get pain pills, we are seeing more meth and black tar heroin. Just like crack and cocaine, black tar is a more refined and stronger dose and more deadly.

“We have been fighting a drug battle for centuries in this country. I don’t know if we will ever stop our war on drugs as long as the want is there and profits are there. It will be a battle.”