Suspected meth lab turns out to be maple syrup operation

As a resident of Geauga County, the maple syrup capital of Ohio, and the nephew of a maple syrup producer, this article hits close to home:

UNION COUNTY, IL (KFVS) -

A Union County family got the scare of their lives on Wednesday morning as drug agents swarmed onto their property.

"I heard the dogs barking. And I knew that meant somebody was outside the house," said Laura Benson."They had a report of a meth lab going on on our property. And they wanted to investigate it."

So the Bensons gladly showed the officers what they really were doing, which was making their own maple syrup.

The Bensons want to thank their neighbors for being so alert and notifying the police.

"I think my neighbors on their way to church see the buckets and stuff and think we've got a meth lab operation going on here. I just want to put their minds at ease, and let them know it's maple syrup. And that they're all welcome for pancakes if they want to come on over."

I can see how a misunderstanding like this might occur, honestly: lots of metal buckets and plastic tubing, strange contraptions, fires burning late into the night, and so on. For those uninitiated in the art of maple syrup production, it might very well resemble a meth lab. My own uncle has had the fire department called on him: his sugar house, lit up at night and spewing steam and smoke, does look like it's ablaze. And honestly, I would prefer concerned neighbors who care enough to make a call.