By Steve Klamkin WPRO News
Providence Police say a “black money scam”, not a meth lab, was the reason for a massive response by hazardous materials units, prompting the evacuation of a waterfront hotel Tuesday night.
The Hilton Garden Inn was cleared of guests and inspected by fire department ‘hazmat’ crews, when a chemical odor permeated the facility, said Providence Police Detective Commander Major David Lapatin. Initial fears of a so-called ‘meth’ lab were sparked by the discovery in a hotel room of a hazmat suit and chemicals.
“A heavy smell of chemicals there, there was smoke coming out of the room,” Lapatin said. “There was a hazmat suit in the room. So, we can’t take chances. As soon as we see things like that go on, we have to treat it like the worst case scenario. That’s why the fire department was called, their special hazards, the DEA (U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration) was called in case there was some sort of a meth lab. Maybe that’s why that got out like it did. That was just precautionary.
Maj. Lapatin said two men purporting to be from West Africa tried to scam a Providence man out of thousands of dollars, claiming to have smuggled currency into the country by ‘painting’ it black.
“They basically would say something like – their family has a lot of money there and they have to get it out of the country or they sold something big and they tried to avoid taxes,” said Lapatin. “So, they painted the money black, and that the chemicals are so expensive to get it back to normal that they need an investor. Then, you invest with us and we’ll take care of you for a percentage.”
Police released a still photograph taken from the hotel’s video surveillance system, of two men, believed to be the suspects, in the hotel parking lot. Maj. Lapatin would not identify the victim.
