Pubdate: Sat, 05 Apr 2003
Source: Winston-Salem Journal (NC)
Copyright: 2003 Piedmont Publishing Co. Inc.
Contact:  http://www.journalnow.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/504
Note: The Journal does not publish letters from writers outside its daily 
home delivery circulation area.
Author: Jim Sparks
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

OFFICIALS SEEING INCREASE IN METH LABS

Problem Is Spreading Over Northwest N.C. Counties, Deputy Says

JEFFERSON - The discovery of two clandestine methamphetamine labs in Ashe 
County on Thursday - the same number as found in the county in all of 2002 
- - shows that they are spreading in Northwest North Carolina, authorities said.

"It's getting to be a problem here," said Maj. Steve Houck, the chief 
deputy with the Ashe County Sheriff's Office. "I'm sure we've got several 
more that we don't know about." No arrests had been made yesterday, but 
warrants were being drawn up, Houck said.

One lab was found in a house in Crumpler and the other in a mobile home in 
Laurel Springs. Earlier this year, a third lab was raided.

Small-scale methamphetamine labs began proliferating on the West Coast 
nearly 25 years ago, authorities said. In recent years the problem has 
taken root in Tennessee and Georgia and has been growing rapidly in North 
Carolina - especially in the westernmost counties.

Watauga County has been one of the hardest hit. So far this year, 
authorities have shut down at least 12 labs and made more than 25 arrests 
related to methampethamine production.

Though the arrival of meth labs was inevitable, Houck said, law-enforcement 
efforts in neighboring Watauga County may have pushed some lab operations 
into nearby counties.

"With the amount of labs that Watauga County has busted recently, they may 
be flushing some of those folks over this way," Houck said.

He issued a warning to those who think that moving their labs will result 
in less pressure from investigators. "We don't want them here either," 
Houck said. "That's why we're also going to go after them hard."

Methamphetamine - known on the street as speed or crank - is dangerous to 
use and to manufacture, authorities said. It is highly addictive and can 
cause the onset of symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease.

The chemicals used to produce methamphetamine are volatile, and the fumes 
emitted during the manufacturing process can be toxic.

Five Watauga County firefighters were hospitalized earlier this year after 
being exposed to toxic fumes in a house fire that started because the 
occupant had been "cooking" methamphetamine.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom