Rock Hill business owners react to meth lab bust:‘I could tell they were sketchy’

Business leaders in Rock Hill said they felt reassured after York County drug agents busted a meth lab on Park Avenue Extension, but uneasy that the dangerous lab had been so close.

The lab, which sat across from Winthrop University near three restaurants, a sorority house and a Christian bookstore, was busted Tuesday by members of the York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit.

Two business owners told The Herald that they were appreciative of law enforcement’s efforts to nab the alleged operators, a father and son.

Martin Leonard Zalucha, 50, and Nicholas Martin Zalucha, 28, remained jailed Wednesday at the Moss Justice Center under $25,000 bond.

“I didn’t know,” said Cale Medley, district manager of Groucho’s Deli, who said he didn’t often drive down that road to or from work. “Every criminal off the street is not selling drugs, not hurting people, not blowing up meth labs. It’s a shame to see it here in the neighborhood.”

One business owner in that area, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, said he had called the police for help twice after a string of run-ins with the two men.

The owner said the men would often hang around his business, urinate between the dumpsters, leave beer or soda cans in the parking lot, use his Wi-Fi and make his customers and staff uncomfortable.

“I could tell they were sketchy,” the business owner said. “Their clothing was unkempt, they obviously didn’t care about their physical appearance. It’s just not the type of people you want around your establishment.”

The lab was being operated at 1015 Park Ave. Ext., said Marvin Brown, commander of the Drug Enforcement Unit. The home, which had been converted into several apartments, was under surveillance recently.

The lab was within half a mile of Groucho’s Deli, Dragon Express, Substation II, Shepherds Fold Books and a Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority house.

The location is directly across the street from Winthrop University’s Thomson Hall, a main cafeteria for many students.

“This could be a nice little mix of community between Winthrop and Rock Hill, but there’s a meth lab brought in the middle of it,” said Medley. “It defeats the purpose of people wanting to move closer to here.”

Brown said the location was “probably one of the worst places to have a meth lab. You’ve got two restaurants, a third business, a school. It could have very easily exploded. The house could have burned down.”

This story was originally published October 12, 2016 at 1:36 PM with the headline "Rock Hill business owners react to meth lab bust:‘I could tell they were sketchy’."