Taco Bell Employee Admits He Set Up Meth Lab So He Could Be High 'All the Time'

The Iowa Taco Bell where police uncovered a meth lab earlier this week is still closed. On Tuesday morning, police officers responded to calls about suspicious persons outside of the restaurant in Cedar Rapids. When they went inside, they found signs of an "active" meth lab including fuel, lye, and drain cleaner. NBC writes that 31-year-old employee Christopher Adam Matous was arrested alongside 56-year-old Kent Jerome Duby and both were charged with conspiracy to manufacture meth.

The Gazette reports Matous told officers that he manufactured the meth "for personal use" so that he could "stay high all the time." Taco Bell released a statement noting that the meth was not cooked in the restaurant's kitchen. However, Matous has been terminated and the franchise owner may press criminal charges. Taco Bell adds that the company and the franchisee find the situation "completely unacceptable" and that the franchisee is cooperating with the police.

The chain has hired a company that "specializes in cleanup of hazardous materials" and plans to submit a report on the progress of the situation on Friday. Stuart Schmitz, a toxicologist with the Iowa Department of Health tells the paper that "those who face the greatest health risks from meth labs are the meth manufacturers themselves," and that there is little risk the public was exposed. For now, the location remains closed and Cedar Rapids residents will have to get their Quesaritos at another location.