BRIDGETON, MO (KTVI - FOX2now.com)—
A multi-state crime spree ends in Bridgeton after a tip leads police to bust a mobile meth lab. But the meth making materials were just the tip of the iceberg. Not only did Bridgeton police find meth making materials stuffed inside a rubbermaid tub, investigators also found a copier, bleach and some $1 dollar bills turned into fake $50's and $100's.Chris Coggins saw it all.
"Two cops pulled them over in the parking lot then they pulled the driver out of the car when they pulled the driver out they immediately put him in handcuffs," said Coggins.
Coggins immediately knew it wasn't a routine traffic stop he witnessed on St. Charles Rock Road Wednesday afternoon.
"Two, 2 liter containers came out of the tote that had one of the chemicals in it and one was white crystals," said Coggins.
And that wasn't all he witnessed.
"They pulled out a black duffel bag you could see there was paper in there," said Coggins.
Plus all the makings to produce counterfeit cash.
Inside the Oldmobile Cutlass was a laptop, copier, bleach and a bag of dollar bills. The Secret Service was called and arrested the couple from Florida.
Jim Bohnert of the Secret Service said, "He would bleach out $1 and $5 dollar notes for the past 6 to 8 months and then he would raise those notes to either a $10, $20 or $50 dollar denomination."
Bohnert says most of the money was used at Walmarts, Targets and Lowes throughout the U.S.
"He said they had been traveling about 6 to 8 months and by his statement it was roughly $50,000 a month they were making in this counterfeit process to the tune of $880,000," said Bohnert.
Bret Rhind and Debra Roberson are charged with manufacturing counterfeit money.
Charges for the mobile meth lab are pending but Bohnert say the two go hand in hand.
"We are finding it more in the drug trade where these guys and gals are using a copier to make the counterfeit and they are passing it among each other," said Bohnert.
In the probable cause statement Bret Rhind also admits he took a hit of meth while waiting in the police car.
He also says he passed the phony cash in 19 states.
The Secret Service is investigating if any of the fake money is moving through the St. Louis area.
