Pubdate: Wed, 28 Apr 2004 Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) Copyright: 2004 Richmond Newspapers Inc. Contact: http://www.timesdispatch.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/365 Author: Erik Stetson, Associated Press METH-LAB SEIZURES UP IN VA. A DEA Officer Predicts the Drug Will Soon Overtake Crack Cocaine As the State's Top Problem Narcotic Seizures of methamphetamine labs in Virginia reached 31 by yesterday, nearly the same number state police had recorded for all of last year. That rate puts Virginia on track to triple last year's seizures - 34 - which reflects a growing drug problem and an increased effort to combat it, law-enforcement officials said. The raids have led to about 60 arrests. "In states where methamphetamine has gotten a foothold, it seems to have taken off," said Lt. Edward Hope, assistant commander of the state police Drug Enforcement Division in Richmond. "There's a lot of reasons for that. One is the ease of manufacturing the substance. The other is its addictive quality." Methamphetamine is a stimulant also known as meth, crystal meth, ice or crank. Users inhale or inject the substance, which can produce a high that lasts for hours. Police said the drug can be manufactured using instructions freely available on the Internet and with chemicals commonly available in stores. Virginia's meth-lab seizures remain far below the triple-digit annual numbers recorded in bordering states, such as Tennessee and North Carolina, said 1st Sgt. John Ruffin, a state police drug-enforcement officer based in Wytheville. But he added that demand was rising for the drug in Virginia and that some arrests had involved meth manufacturers from other states. "It comes down to supply and demand," he said, referring to drug distributors. "When they can't get it shipped in, they'll make it themselves." Ruffin's supervisor, Lt. William Bess, said meth manufacturers are concentrated in the state's southwestern region, with substantial distribution networks existing as far away as Culpeper, in the northern and central area of Virginia. But demand for the drug, he added, is present "throughout the state." Police combat drug activity through about 25 task forces throughout the state. They can combine federal agents with state and local police, allowing for joint operations, training and funding. Bess said the Drug Enforcement Agency's resources are particularly useful to offset cleanup costs after police seize a lab, which often involve hazardous and explosive chemicals. He said cleanup costs start at least $3,000 per lab and can climb much higher. He also stressed the importance of federal training resources, including a meth-lab-focused DEA course in Quantico that police can attend at no charge. "We're continuing to train people," Bess said. "We've got one agent who's in the DEA lab school this week, and we've got two more lined up in June." Raymond Melick, agent-in-charge of the DEA's Roanoke office, said methamphetamine use was rising across the nation, and called Virginia's sharp increases similar to those in other states. He predicted meth would soon overtake crack cocaine as the state's top problem drug. "It's a scourge on us right now," he said. "We've got to get a hold of it." Tim Murtaugh, spokesman for state Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore, linked methamphetamine and other drug problems to gang violence. The General Assembly passed legislation this year to make drug manufacturing in a child's presence a form of child abuse, and to give police more authority over illegal immigrants involved in gangs and drug trafficking, he said. The issue is "front and center," Murtaugh added. "We know that where there are illegal drugs and illegal gun activity, there will be gangs. And where there are gangs, there will be drugs and gun violence." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake