7 HELD IN DRUG LAB RAID; 8 KIDS TAKEN BY COUNTY.

Byline: Bhavna Mistry Daily News Staff Writer

Seven men and women were arrested and eight children taken into protective custody after sheriff's deputies uncovered a methamphetamine lab Thursday night at an isolated desert compound, sheriff's officials said.

Tipped by an anonymous telephone call, deputies said they found a lab capable of producing batches of up to 60 pounds of methamphetamine in a shed about 20 feet from two trailers where the adults and children lived in the sparsely populated area about six miles from Lake Los Angeles.

``The smell was so great,'' said Deputy Enrique Velasquez. ``It was dangerous for them to be around that stuff. If you smell the wrong fumes it could kill you.''

Arrested on suspicion of manufacturing and possession of narcotics were Hortencia Aguilar, 46; Margarita Aguilar-Gurrola, 46; Primitivo Aguilar, 20; Fernando Aguilar, 18; Miguel Aguilar, 26; Alejandro Salazar, 19; and a seventh person whose name was not immediately available. Deputies said all seven are related.

The children - ages 2 to 16 - were taken by the Los Angeles County Department of Children's Services for their safety.

Officials say their parents could face additional charges of child endangerment.

Two of the suspects were stopped after they drove away in a van while deputies were watching the property in the 24000 block of East Avenue P, and the other five were arrested at the property.

``We got the phone call around 5 p.m. and we sent out two scouts to check it out while we got ready,'' said Velasquez. ``The majority of the (reports of) labs don't pan out.''

As the van drove away, deputies followed, finally stopping it and detaining its two occupants at 170th Street East and Avenue O.