Suspected strong hallucinogen discovered during drug bust

A burglary investigation in Girdler expanded into Laurel County, leading to a drug bust and recovery of stolen firearms.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office identified a Laurel County residence where stolen firearms were located after they conducted a burglary investigation in Girdler. In coordination with the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, a search warrant was executed at the Old Way Road residence of Doug Simons and his father, Robert Simons. 
The resulting search led to the seizure of two of the firearms stolen in Knox County and the discovery of methamphetamine, morphine tablets, a methamphetamine lab, and a DMT (dimethyltryptamine) lab. DMT is a Schedule I hallucinogen, which can be produced inconspicuously. Robert Wayne Simons, 48, of London, was arrested and charged with Trafficking in Controlled Substance 1st Degree and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. An arrest warrant was also issued for Doug Simons, who was not located then.
Once the DMT lab was discovered, members of the Laurel County Drug Interdiction Task Force assisted in securing it. ECHO-Techs, a hazardous materials response, and environmental remediation company responded to the scene to assist in securing and packaging both the methamphetamine and DMT labs. Drug Enforcement Administration chemists from the DEA Mid-Atlantic Lab in Maryland responded to the storage location in London to collect samples, and the material was properly disposed of.
Pending a final lab analysis, federal prosecution is anticipated as there were several large containers of suspected DMT seized during the search.
Federal guidelines dictate a minimum sentence of 15 years for offenders possessing at least 14 grams of DMT.
The possible presence of DMT has caused Sheriffs Smith and Root to alert citizens of Knox and Laurel Counties, as DMT is a strong psychedelic drug known to produce short-acting and intense visual hallucinations, similar to LSD, Mescaline, and Psilocybin (magic mushrooms). DMT can be smoked, snorted, ingested, or injected, and when produced synthetically, is a white crystalline powder.