Pubdate: Sun, 05 May 2002 Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press (TN) Website: http://www.timesfreepress.com/index.html Address: P.O. Box 1447, Chattanooga, TN 37403 Contact: 2002 Chattanooga Publishing Co Author: Candice Combs Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) MEXICAN METH EDGES INTO TENNESSEE A cheap, accessible type of methamphetamine known as Mexican meth is crossing the Georgia border and infiltrating Tennessee, bringing a host of new troubles, law enforcement officials said. Federal grants have been set aside to help with the cost of dealing with the current crop of "homegrown" meth labs, but the Mexican drug creates new issues that could increase costs and kick start other crimes, said Paul Laymon, assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee. "As time passes, we'll get more and more Mexican methamphetamine in our area, and instead of competing with our homegrown stuff, the market will just expand," Mr. Laymon said. Mexican methamphetamine is a diluted version of what local officials call "Grundy Gold," named for its Tennessee county of origin. But Mexican meth is cheaper and becoming more accessible -- users don't have to devote much effort to getting it, unlike people who operate clandestine meth labs, said Ben Scott, resident agent in charge for the Chattanooga office of the Drug Enforcement Administration. The drug, also known as poor man's cocaine, is crossing the state line from Georgia into Hamilton and Bradley counties, coming primarily from Dalton, Mr. Laymon said. Officials speculate Dalton has become a hub because of the increase in the Hispanic population there. They said meth dealers in Dalton's Hispanic community, who are primarily from Mexico but also from Puerto Rico and Guatemala, "saw an opportunity" to sell the drug as the community expanded, Mr. Laymon said. "We have quantities here in Dalton in the upper 90s percentage," said Whitfield County Detective Paul Woods. "Just about all the meth we are getting around here is Mexican meth." An "eight-ball" -- an eighth of an ounce -- of both the locally made and Mexican meth costs about the same -- $200 to $250, Mr. Laymon said. In larger quantities, though, one pound of the Mexican drug has a street value of $6,000 to $10,000, while pure meth made here can run as much as $28,000 a pound. "We're not seeing any local cooks selling a pound at a time, but it's not uncommon for the DEA to buy multi-pounds of Mexican meth from targets in Dalton," Mr. Laymon said. "We never used to see that." He said the work of law enforcement and the wariness of merchants make it harder to buy precursor chemicals for manufacturing methamphetamine. "You can't just walk into Wal-Mart and say, 'I want a case of Ephedrine,'" Mr. Laymon said. "If you're willing to invest the time and energy into finding what you need to make it, there's a payoff, or maybe you'll just get to the point where you're happy just buying Mexican methamphetamine." Lt. Tommy Farmer of the narcotics division of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department said his office noticed a flood of Mexican meth in North Georgia in 1995. Although it's been there for seven years and picked up speed the last two, only recently have local law enforcement officers noticed the influx into Tennessee, he said. In the last year, his department, with the help of the DEA and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, has examined about four "substantial cases involving Mexican meth" in Hamilton County, Lt. Farmer said. As the Mexican meth seeps into Hamilton County, law enforcement officials are bracing for other crimes related to conflicts between local manufacturers and Mexican meth distributors, Lt. Farmer said. "We already have turf wars involving dealers of other drugs, like cocaine," he said. "We'll start seeing that here with the meth, and other crimes, too, like robberies and even more serious, violent crimes." Because the drug is coming from Georgia, Tennessee investigators are limited when it comes to jurisdictional boundaries in "dealing with a problem that's affecting us," Mr. Laymon said. Georgia and Tennessee law enforcement officials jointly investigate meth-related crimes that cross state lines, but because of grants secured solely for Tennessee, Georgia is unable to take advantage of the training and equipment provided by the Southeast Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force, Lt. Farmer said. The task force, composed of local, state and federal agencies, provides 18 Southeast Tennessee counties support for equipment, training and employee overtime in investigating meth-related crimes, said U.S. Attorney Russ Dedrick of the Eastern District of the U.S. Attorney's Office. The task force, which is expanding, has received two $1 million federal grants through the office of U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., and the Department of Justice. But Georgia has been left out. "I could see us forming a task force to cross state lines and federal boundaries, similar to our current task force," Mr. Laymon said. "Presumably, we'd separate funding for another task force that could benefit both states." Investigators fear the Mexican meth will continue to spread into Meigs, McMinn, Bledsoe, Sequatchie and Marion counties, bordering Bradley and Hamilton, Mr. Scott said. But only time will tell what specific effects it will have on the areas. "It's impossible to say when we'll see it spread or how fast," he said, "but any drug available will spread -- it just takes time." - --- MAP posted-by: Beth