The Loretto Police Department in Loretto, Tennessee - about three hours west of Chattanooga -is making national news after a Facebook post about "meth gators."
On July 13, the department posted that officers served a search warrant and the person tried to unsuccessfully flush methamphetamine and paraphernalia down their toilet when police arrived.
Officials said that sending drugs down the sewer pipe means it then ends up in retention ponds for processing before it is sent downstream.
"Ducks, geese and other fowl frequent our treatment ponds, and we shudder to think what one all hyped up on meth would do," the post states. "Furthermore, if it made it far enough we could create meth gators in Shoal Creek and the Tennessee River down in North Alabama. They've had enough methed up animals the past few weeks without our help."
The post goes on to state that anyone who needs to dispose of drugs, including prescription pills, should give the local police department a call and they will be sure to dispose of them in the proper way.
The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office has two drug take-back boxes for local residents, one at their west sector location at 6233 Dayton Blvd. and one at their east sector location at 8395 Hickory Valley Road.
For more information, visit hcsheriff.gov/support/drug_take_back.php.