Pubdate: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 Source: Deseret News (UT) Copyright: 2001 Deseret News Publishing Corp. Contact: 30 East 100 South., P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, UT 84110 Website: http://www.desnews.com/ KEEP PRESSURE ON METH-MAKERS Utah law-enforcement scored a major victory in the war on drugs over the weekend. But the action that is believed to have brought down a major methamphetamine ring was tempered by the knowledge of how prevalent the meth scourge is in the state. The extent to which meth is plaguing Utah was evident by the size of the operation: more than 100 police officers and federal agents from 15 agencies, including six SWAT teams were involved in the bust, which centered around three homes and two auto body shops in West Valley City. The action culminated a six-month investigation and was part of West Valley City's "Weed and Seed" initiative, where the goal is to weed out crime and replace with it with positive influences. This particular ring was very sophisticated. Police found the chemicals stored in one location, the meth manufactured at another and the finished product being sold at still another. Police spokesman Alan Kerstein called it a cartel. Methamphetamine use is proliferating because it's easy to produce. Raw ingredients, chemical and household agents that can be purchased with relative ease, are "cooked" at home. Because it's relatively cheap, it has been described as the "poor-man's cocaine." Regrettably, Utah led the nation in the proliferation of meth labs per capita in 1998, and the problem has not diminished in the past two years, as the aforementioned bust demonstrates. In fact it is becoming easier in some ways to produce meth. Add the Internet to the crime-fighting obstacles. Not only can "cooks" find recipes for making methamphetamine on the Net, but they can also buy their supplies on it. At an increasing number of busts, local law enforcement officers are finding receipts from drugmakers' Internet purchases. Utah's high production and usage, compared with other states, appears to be primarily a factor of economics and a culture steeped in prescription drug use. Many women use it for weight control and then become hooked. Some men and women with stressful lifestyles are attracted to it and then become addicted. There is no such thing as a safe dose of meth. It extracts a physical, mental and emotional toll. It is a recipe for violence, with extreme paranoia as one of its side-effects. Federal, state and local funding, coupled with the kind of dedication demonstrated in West Valley City, is needed to wage a successful war against this insidious enemy. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens