LORETTO, TENN. – A police department in Tennessee is warning people to stop flushing drugs down their toilets or sinks, out of fear that it could create “meth-gators.”

The Loretto Police Department posted the warning on Facebook after officers found that a suspect unsuccessfully tried to flush meth and paraphernalia at his home.

He was arrested for possession of meth, possession of drug paraphernalia, and tampering with evidence.

Police say the flushing of drugs has become an issue because the drugs can end up in retention ponds for processing before it is sent downstream.

“Ducks, Geese, and other fowl frequent our treatment ponds and we shudder to think what one all hyped up on meth would do,” the police department wrote on Facebook. “Furthermore, if it made it far enough we could create meth-gators in Shoal Creek and the Tennessee River down in North Alabama.”

Police say their warning also includes the flushing of prescription drugs.