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COFFEE RANKS 7TH IN METH LAB SEIZURES

Of all 95 Tennessee counties, Coffee ranks 7th in methamphetamine lab seizures for 2004 according to information compiled by EPIC's National Clandestine Lab Seizure System and the South/East Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force.

The 40 lab seizures reported for Coffee County as of Oct.  20 represent an increase of 17 from last year.  But, that's not necessarily a bad sign, according to Billy Cook, criminal investigator for the District Attorney General's office in Manchester.

"There is not more meth being cooked -- It's not an epidemic," Cook said.  Bedford County isn't reporting any ( lab seizures ).  These numbers can be very deceiving.

"We're working harder to combat the problem.  Because we have a high number, we are more aggressive and our efforts are more productive in reporting."

Cook said increased education of law enforcement officers has led to more lab discoveries.  In the past, officers weren't sure what exactly constituted a meth lab.  In the beginning, labs were much larger and aggressive meth lab busts have forced cookers to produce smaller, mobile labs, he said.

So, although more labs are being found, they are smaller and do not produce anywhere near the quantities of the larger operations.

In Coffee County, only four lab seizures were reported for 1999.

The county reporting the highest number of meth lab seizures for 2004 to date was Bradley County, with 98, up from 64.

Warren County logged 23 seizures, down from 43, while Grundy County posted 15, down from 16.