Chemistry student busted for operating meth lab on Illinois college campus

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (KTVI) – A former chemistry graduate student at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, who was once lauded for his college work, now faces charges of operating a meth lab on campus.

According to Madison County Court records, an SIUE professor noticed something suspicious in the Science West building this past Thanksgiving break. Spectrometer testing revealed alleged byproducts of meth making.

Campus police investigated.

“This was somewhat of a routine call when it originally came in, but a lot of our staff teamed up, did a lot of background, and were really able to get it to the point where there was an arrest made in the end,” SIUE Police Chief David Goodwin said. “So, really, a team approach.”

A probable cause statement reads, “SIUE Police confirmed that the only person to make electronic access to the Science West Building between 11/22/23 and 11/27/23, and had a key to room 3000 (besides the reporting professor) was Jeremy Smalling.”

Smalling, 45, was a graduate research assistant at the time. He’s listed as winning the 2018 award for physical chemistry at the university.

SIUE police checked the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx) database that tracks pseudoephedrine purchases. Investigators said Smalling was listed as attempting 365 pseudoephedrine purchases in the last 10 years and was blocked from purchases 45 times. Illinois law flags purchases that exceed a 30-day supply in a one-month period.

Police got a judge to sign off on a search warrant to put a GPS tracker on the Smalling’s car, which was parked at his apartment complex on Puma Boulevard. SIUE police also brought in the regional drug task force, known as the MEGSI.

“Our agent, who’s detached to MEGSI, really picked it up and ran with it,” Chief Goodwin said. “Really, it’s a collaborative effort.”

Investigators monitored Smalling’s alleged meth-making purchases in neighboring cities, like Walmart and Walgreens in Glen Carbon, Illinois.

Court records state that a team of six investigators tracked the defendant. On Jan. 10, officers noted that they watched the suspect enter his apartment with suspected meth-making materials he’d just purchased and that they noticed the bedroom window was open, even though the temperature was 36 degrees Fahrenheit at the time.

The Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Smalling with four felony counts, including aggravated participation in meth making and possession with the intent to deliver.

“SIUE is aware of an ongoing law enforcement investigation concerning an individual who was previously enrolled as an SIUE student,” a spokesperson for the university said in a statement. “The individual does not have access to campus. SIUE P.D. will continue to partner with Madison County authorities and other law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety of our campus community.”

Court records indicate the suspect also had three student roommates living with him during his arrest, all of whom were evacuated and relocated.