Pubdate: Sun, 06 Apr 2003
Source: North County Times (CA)
Copyright: 2003 North County Times
Contact:  http://www.nctimes.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1080
Author: John Hall
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

METH STILL A PROBLEM LOCALLY

Even as inroads are being made in the local war on methamphetamine, recently
released statistics reveal that "speed" is still a problem in Riverside and
San Bernardino counties.

Within the law-enforcement community, the Inland Empire is commonly called
the "source country" for meth because such a large percentage of the illicit
drug is manufactured and used here. Since 1999, nearly one of every 10 meth
labs seized across America was in the Riverside and San Bernardino area,
officials say.

Whether it is someone using extremely explosive and dangerous methods to
"cook" the highly addictive substance in a home, apartment or the back room
of a business, or someone driving down the street under its influence,
authorities say meth's influence is everywhere.

"There is not a community around here that isn't touched by meth in some
way," said Riverside County sheriff's Lt. Charlie Branscum, who heads the
Regional Methamphetamine Task Force in this county.

Labs are being found in almost every Southwest County community. That's
according to the Hammer Report, released last month by the Inland Narcotic
Clearing House.

According to the report, in 2002 two meth labs were seized in each of the
following communities: Canyon Lake, Menifee, Murrieta and Winchester. Three
each were found in Romoland, Sun City, Temecula and Wildomar, while nine
were seized in Lake Elsinore. And Perris has the dubious distinction of
being home to a whopping 29 labs, the report states.

While those numbers may be staggering to Southwest County residents, the
number of meth labs found in the Inland Empire has decreased substantially
over the last three years.

In 1999, there were 806 labs found across the two-county area. That number
dropped to 634 the next year, 461 in 2001, and 412 last year, authorities
say.

Inherent problems associated with labs include the fact that illegal drugs
are being sold and used in the area as well as contamination to the
environment because of the toxic chemicals used. But there is also a hidden
tragedy: children who live in the homes with labs are exposed to the drug.

Danger To Innocent Children

"We're finding a lot of children in these homes and 80 to 90 percent of them
are testing positive for exposure to meth," Branscum said. Some, he added,
are as young as 19 months old.

When authorities raid meth labs and find children living there, they are
taken to a hospital and given an exam to determine whether there is meth in
their system and then placed in the custody of county Child Protective
Services.

Branscum said meth exposure can result from a child inhaling fumes during
the manufacturing process, coming in direct contact with the substance, or
even through second-hand smoke as many meth users smoke the drug.

"We track (their medical condition) for two years after we remove them from
a home," the lieutenant said. Typically, the children are placed into a
foster home once removed from the hazards of the meth lab, he added.

"When we get them into our system, their future is much brighter," Branscum
said. "We're trying to break the cycle and get their lives turned around."

In 2002, according to the Hammer Report, 10 children in Riverside County
were removed safely from meth-lab homes. Eight of those 10 children were
between the ages of 7 and 17, the report states.

Suspected Terrorist Connection With Meth

The methamphetamine epidemic isn't just having a dangerous influence on
children, but it may also be funding terrorist groups as well, authorities
believe.

"We're finding that profits from labs are being laundered back to suspected
Middle East terrorist organizations," said Riverside County sheriff's Sgt.
Rod Crisp, who works with the Inland Narcotic Clearing House.

"From an analytical standpoint, it looks like the money is going from
Mexican nationals buying pseudoephedrine from Middle Eastern brokers who are
buying it from Canada," Crisp said. Pseudoephedrine, commonly found in cold
medications, is one of the key components used in the manufacturing of meth.

People who manufacture meth in smaller labs typically get their
pseudoephedrine by either buying or stealing cold medication from local
stores. However, the larger labs frequently get pseudoephedrine in bulk --
often from Canada where restrictions are more lax than in the United States,
Branscum said.

Cutting off easy access to pseudoephedrine is key to combating the flow of
meth, authorities say.

"Shutting down the chemicals, shutting down supply lines is something we
have to do nationwide and, we're finding, worldwide," Branscum said.

Authorities say that stemming the flow of chemicals meth cookers use is
critical to keeping the number of labs down.

'Super Labs' Decreasing

Along with the decrease in the number of labs, a decrease is also being seen
in the number of local "super labs" being seized, according to the Hammer
Report.

A "super lab" is one capable of manufacturing 10 pounds or more of meth at a
time. Authorities found 128 of those in the Inland Empire in 1999, then 55
in 2000, a slight decrease to 51 in 2001 and then a steep drop to 23 last
year.

Southwest County was home to some of those larger labs found last year. In
July, authorities shut down a "super lab" inside a single-wide mobile home
in the Wildomar area that they say could have manufactured at least 150
pounds a week.

A veteran narcotics investigation said at the time it was one of the largest
single-location labs he had ever seen.

"From floor to ceiling, every room in the place was a meth lab," said
Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Dave Stroh. Investigators found no
furniture, no bedding -- nothing but the lab inside, he said at the Bethel
Street seizure.

In December, a lab in Temecula was found and 15 pounds of meth seized.
Authorities also found 11 gallons of unfinished liquid meth that could have
yielded 44 more pounds.

Drug experts believe many of the "super labs" that previously supplied
Southern California have now moved south of the border into Mexico. The
finished product frequently is smuggled back into the United States.

"Mexico has always had methods for getting things across the border, whether
it be drugs or people," Branscum said. In previous years, law-enforcement
officers would see mostly marijuana and cocaine coming in from Mexico.

"Now we're starting to see a lot more speed coming across," Branscum said.
And in larger amounts at a time, he added.

Recently, authorities seized almost 10 pounds of meth in a single vehicle
that was making its way from Mexico, Branscum said. "And we certainly
believe there was more than just that one car," he said.

And meth labs also are spreading east across the country.

"We predicted that back in the early 1990s -- that it would start big here
and spread across the country," Branscum said.

California still has the unfortunate claim to the most meth labs per state,
with 1,243 found last year -- nearly twice that of the Missouri, the state
with the second-highest number at 696. All told, there were 18 states with
more than 100 meth labs seized last year, most of those in the Midwest.

Even with those numbers, authorities in Riverside County are confident the
tide is turning as the war on meth continues.

"This is a hard fight and we are going to continue to fight it," Branscum
said. "Are we going to win this tomorrow? No. But we are making headway and
we will continue to fight."

Materials used to make methamphetamine are on display outside a lab
discovered in Wildomar last summer.

Meth Lab Seizures In Riverside And San Bernardino Counties

Total Labs Seized:

Year	Labs

1999	806

2000	634

2001	461

2002	412

"Super" Labs Seized -- Capable Of Making More Than 10 Pounds Of Meth At A
Time

Year	Labs

1999	128

2000	55

2001	51

2002	23

Source: Inland Narcotics Clearing House, Hammer Report

Meth-Related Seizures By County In 2002:

Note: This includes labs, chemical dumps and seizures of lab equipment

County Incidents:

Riverside	213

San Bernardino	300

Los Angeles	174

Orange		46

San Diego	55

Stanislaus	143

Merced		124

Source: Inland Narcotics Clearing House, Hammer Report
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