Pubdate: Fri, 01 Aug 2003
Source: Daily Post-Athenian (TN)
Copyright: 2003 East Tennessee Network - R.A.I.D. (Regionalized Access Internet
Contact:  http://dpa.xtn.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1673
Author: Ben Benton

NOT ENOUGH POLICE EYES TO SEE ALL METH OPERATIONS

Law enforcement officials everywhere agree education could be the most
effective weapon against the tide of methamphetamine sweeping the country.

Known by various street names like "speed," "crank," "crystal-meth,"
"chalk," "ice," and "glass," methamphetamine can be made from
ingredients available in almost any retail store.

Availability of ingredients is a fact that has been repeated by almost
every media outlet.

But residents who might be seeing these ingredients in large
quantities in their communities might never recognize them because
they don't know what they are.

Some are afraid listing the ingredients could lead otherwise
law-abiding citizens to begin cooking up meth for themselves. But,
local anti-methamphetamine experts say that's the least of their fears.

McMinn County Sheriff's Department Drug Officer B.J. Johnson contends
the more eyes on the problem the better.

There are telltale signs of an operating methamphetamine lab, Johnson
said. Those signs can be recognized by anybody.

The result of the meth lab process is a refined crystalline product,
either white or yellowish in color, that can be produced in prodigious
amounts from a single meth lab, according to experts. Presence of such
a substance is an obvious sign, he said.

According to Johnson, one of the most outward signs of an operating
meth lab are burn piles or burn barrels located around a home. Burn
piles and burn barrels left behind by methamphetamine "cooks" usually
contain the remains of ingredient packages and used components,
according to Johnson.

Johnson said signs of operation become obvious to officers who have
participated in meth lab raids.

"When we go on the raids we look at the trash," Johnson
said.

Johnson said some of the ingredients' containers can't be destroyed by
fire.

Metal cans containing camping fuel, brake cleaner sprays, acetone,
paint thinner, toluene, denatured alcohol, drain cleaner, as well as
glass containers of the same products, can't be destroyed by fire.
When readers hear of meth lab components being found, invariably most
of these items are included.

"That's the problem," Johnson said. "The bad guy knows that the trash
can be what gets him arrested."

Johnson said a common practice among meth cookers now is to bag up the
items that can't be destroyed by fire and simply toss them out by the
side of the road.

"If I see a bag tied up on the side of the road, I'll and look in it,"
Johnson said. "I really don't want to, but I know what could be
inside." Johnson said garbage bags with chemical containers inside
must be treated the same as those found during a meth lab raid, and
disposed of as a hazardous material.

"We're finding more and more now," Johnson said.

As officers and the general public become educated, so do the meth
cookers.

"Every time you raid somebody, you educate them," said Johnson. "They
remember what we did and what we processed." A good way to approach
the problem is through observation of ingredient purchases by law
enforcement, citizens and businesses. Authorities hope to enlist
everyone's aid in the battle against meth by keeping their eyes open
and using common sense. The Southeast Tennessee Methamphetamine Task
Force has distributed large color posters for retailers to use in
watching for people purchasing unusually large quantities of otherwise
legal products.

As the posters reads, "Purchased alone, the items show below do not
represent narcotics activity. Frequent or large quantity purchases of
one or more of these or similar products may, however, be an
indication of METHAMPHETEMINE MANUFACTURING." So what do you look for?

First of all, over-the-counter cold medication containing ephedrine or
pseudoephedrine is the base ingredient from which methamphetamine is
derived.

A solvent such as ether (brake cleaner), starter fluid, denatured
alcohol, acetone, paint thinner and other solvents are used to "clean"
the pills which are usually crushed, according to authorities.

Red phosphorous is used along with tincture of iodine, and coffee
filters used in automatic drip coffee makers are used to filter the
product in some stages of the process.

Lye and sulfuric acid, which is often contained in drain cleaners, and
hydrogen chloride gas is often used in part of the process. Hydrogen
chloride gas is either purchased or produced with a combination of
chemicals in a separate process.

Rock salt is used in latter stages of the production as well as
muriatic acid and hydrogen peroxide, experts say.

Match boxes or packs are the source of red phosphorous which is
contained in the "strike plates" - the panel on a book of matches or
on a match box where the match is struck in lighting it.

Another physical indication of a meth lab operation are Mason jars
containing layered liquids - particularly clear, reddish and/or white
layers - and two-liter soft drink bottles, Johnson said. These items
are often seen in meth labs with protruding plastic tubing ranging in
size from a quarter-inch to an inch in diameter.

Johnson said all these "components" are perfectly legal to have at
home but it's the quantities or the locations where they're kept that
are warning signs.

"When you go to somebody's house and you see jars of red or white
slush, it's a sign," he said. "Red stained coffee filters, blister
packs of cold medicine in large quantities are signs. If you see brake
cleaner, acetone, or muriatic acid inside the house - well, you don't
store those kinds of things inside your house - that could be a sign."
Johnson said anyone who doesn't have farm animals shouldn't have
reason to have a large quantity of tincture of iodine in their home.

Johnson noted, "And that creates a problem for the true farmer out
there who uses iodine. Some of these places that sell iodine have
raised the price since they've (meth cookers) started using it for
meth."

Other indicators are more than two or three microwave ovens in a
single family home, or hot plates in a residence with an operating
range or stove top, according to Johnson.

In the case of meth production using anhydrous ammonia - a practice
not yet common in this area - lithium batteries are commonly found in
large quantities.

Authorities warn retailers and residents alike to be on the lookout
for unusually large quantities of any of these commonly-used household
items.

Johnson also offered another tip from his experience: "What's
interesting about people making meth is they won't get rid of anything
with residue on it. They'll stick a coffee filter, with white or
yellow residue on it that's been used to strain the liquids, into
something they're drinking."

The signs are there, the problem is there aren't enough eyes to see
the problem.

The sheriff's departments in McMinn and Meigs counties conduct an
average of at least one raid per week, authorities said.

Law enforcement offices believe the largest part of the population can
aid authorities if they know what to look for.

Most of the law enforcement agencies in the region have officers who
can conduct informative meth education talks with civic groups,
schools, churches and the like.

Anyone interested in learning more about what they can do to help the
fight against methamphetamine should contact their local law
enforcement agency, Johnson said.

Suspicious activity can be reported to the Southeast Tennessee
Methamphetamine Task Force's tip line at 1-866-RID-METH.

Suspicious activity can also be reported to any of the local
agencies.
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MAP posted-by: Derek