“Jeff the Chef” cooks a batch of meth, using the dangerous “shake and bake” method of mixing toxic chemicals in a soda bottle. Image: Wall to Wall Television/National Geographic Channel
A documentary airing this weekend goes inside the illegal drug business in Tennessee. The makers of Stashville say they chose the state because it ranks high for everything from meth lab seizures and marijuana busts to prescription drug abuse.
A man calling himself “Jeff the Chef” appears with a digitally altered voice, his face hidden under a black ski mask. With an empty green plastic soda bottle, he makes a batch of meth using lye, lithium batteries, and ground up Sudafed tablets.
Stashville is part of the National Geographic Channel’s series Drugs, Inc. The episode also includes a former narcotics cop, now an addict, who spends his days walking Lower Broad. Filmmakers also follow along with one of the state’s drug task forces as they clean up a meth lab.
The London producers behind the documentary say they also explore how Nashville’s music industry overlaps with the drug world.
Stashville airs Sunday night at 8, on the National Geographic Channel.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM