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Vine cave shrouded meth lab Photo by Bob Pennell This small building, hidden in a thicket near the Jackson County Expo Park equestrian trails, was home to a meth lab for the past couple of months. JACNET says unique setup most likely ran several months By JIM DAVIS CENTRAL POINT -- The tunnel to the methamphetamine lab runs through a dense blackberry thicket. For about 100 feet, the passageway winds through a wall of vines. Pieces of green carpet are strewn over the slippery, muddy trail. The tunnel opens into a large clearing where a small dome tent stands to one side and a plywood shack lies in the heart of the clearing. That shack is where the meth was "cooked," said Jim Anderson, the commander of the Jackson County Narcotic Enforcement Team. "There is nothing similar to this," he said. "Most of the meth labs we find are in a house or an apartment or a building -- this is in a jungle." Arlen Eugene Zastera, 42, was arrested after JACNET detectives discovered him at the lab on Monday afternoon. Zastera was charged with possession, manufacture and distribution of meth and several probation violation charges. He was held without bail at the Jackson County Jail. The lab was hacked into the thicket, which is on the east side of Bear Creek near Gebhard Road. The opening into the thicket is off a dirt road and close to a heavily used equestrian trail. The lab, Anderson said, was probably running for at least a couple of months. But the opening into the thicket was concealed with a fake door of vines and cattails. The clearing would be hard to find by air as well. A vine cover stands above the area and is held up with more vines tied into makeshift pillars. Anderson estimated that the lab could probably cook about 2 to 3 ounces of meth per reaction, and each reaction would take several hours. Meth -- which is a powerful stimulant -- has a street value of about $600 per ounce. JACNET has been searching for Zastera for months. In the past several weeks, trail users have called Jackson County sheriff's deputies and Central Point police about a homeless man with a Rottweiler. The man's description matched Zastera. Anderson and other JACNET officers had been driving around the area, searching for Zastera. They never saw the opening into the thicket. "I was right here a couple of weeks ago," Anderson said. "Just a few feet away from the opening." On Monday, a JACNET officer was on the back road and saw Zastera's Rottweiler. The officer got more team members and they headed back to the spot. The detectives then found the fake door. JACNET officers walked through the tunnel into the clearing and found the shack. "He was in the building and stepped out when the officers got there," Anderson said. "A burner was going on the table just outside of the shack." JACNET detectives found glassware and chemicals in the shack and just outside. The chemicals were sent to the Oregon State Police crime lab. The county's going to have to clean the lab up -- it's possibly on Expo land -- but Anderson didn't know the cost. Chris Borovansky, the Jackson County fair manager, said he doesn't know where the money would come from. Until the lab and the land around it are cleaned up, Anderson said that police are worried about children and teenagers getting into the vine fortress. "It would be fascinating if you're a kid," Anderson said. He said that meth labs are often found on public lands. But he's never seen anything so elaborate. "(Zastera) put an incredible amount of effort into clearing this thing out," Anderson said. "I have no idea how he even dragged all that stuff -- like the plywood and everything -- in there." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA