Hiker finds meth lab components

FAIRBANKS (AP) -- A person walking in a wooded area found what local drug investigators suspect is a medium-sized methamphetamine lab stored near Mile 342 of the Richardson Highway, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Local agents of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration were first notified by the walker, said Trooper Sgt. Ron Wall of the statewide drug enforcement unit.

The person who spotted the materials ''didn't know it was there, they happened across it,'' Wall said. ''It would have never been easily located.'' Local drug investigators spent several hours sampling he chemicals, which will be sent to the statewide crime lab for testing. The Fairbanks North Star Borough Hazardous Materials team helped pack up the materials.

''It was obvious that the individuals were going to return and pick it up,'' Wall said. ''The scene indicated that they had come and gone several times.

''We do have some leads and we're continuing to investigate,'' he said.