Lancaster County deputies have arrested one man and have warrants out for two more people in relation to a methamphetamine production ring.

The months-long investigation began after a deputy was notified of a meth dump site near the 2900 block of South 120th Street.

Several meth-associated items were found in a Walgreens bag, including an empty pack of batteries, empty fuel can, a rusty pair of pliers and aluminum foil.

And a credit card receipt from the drug store.

Investigators traced the receipt to a woman who has not been charged, but she told deputies she was asked to buy four boxes of Clariton D-24 tablets by Blair Welch, 33, and her husband, George, 41.

According to the woman, they told her after her second purchase that the tablets, which contain pseudoephedrine, were being used to make meth. She was one of several people who bought tablets for the operation, in which large amount of pseudoephedrine were purchased at drug stores throughout Lincoln, according to the arrest warrant.

Arrest warrants have been issued for Blair and George Welch.

Deputies on Tuesday arrested Merrill Glazebrook Jr. of La Vista on suspicion of possessing ephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. He was thought to be living at the Welch home.

A boyfriend-girlfriend couple who live in the same apartment complex as the Welches told investigators in March they also had bought pseudoephedrine for the Welches and Glazebrook.

Investigators were told Glazebrook said he needed 200 pills to make a “batch,” the arrest warrant states. The girlfriend bought the pills at a Walgreens and said she saw them being handed to Glazebrook at the Welch’s apartment.

Because drug stores require identification to buy behind-the-counter drugs such as Clariton D-24, Sudafed and Wal-Act D, investigators were able to tie 24 local ephedrine purchases to the meth lab in question, according to the arrest warrant.

Between Jan. 5 and March 3, investigators found Glazebrook made seven purchases at several Lincoln drug stores, Blair Welch 10, George Welch three and the woman whose receipt was found four.

On March 27, members of the Lincoln Metro Clandestine Lab team were called to the 3300 block of South 120th Street on a possible meth lab dump site. More common meth manufacturing items were found, and so was a Windstream telephone bill.

It belonged to Blair Welch.

Reach Cory Matteson at 473-7438 or cmatteson@journalstar.com.