Pubdate: Mon, 31 May 2004
Source: Messenger-Inquirer (KY)
Copyright: 2004 Messenger-Inquirer
Contact:  http://www.messenger-inquirer.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1285
Author: Justin Willis, Messenger-Inquirer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

US KY: Fighting Back: The Meth Epidemic (Part 3 of 4)

RETAILERS ENLISTED IN FIGHT AGAINST METHAMPHETAMINE

Jim Decker took a job six years ago working loss prevention at area Krogers.

Although it was not in the job description, Decker quickly learned that 
among his many responsibilities was fighting the war against methamphetamine.

Among the hundreds of customers he sees each day, a few are looking to 
collect the ingredients for a different kind of recipe, one that requires 
hundreds of decongestant pills.

"Most of the time it's a gray, dead look," Decker said. "Their eyes, their 
movement, their nervousness. You're not supposed to profile, but you can't 
help but notice."

Unlike many businesses in town, the most popular decongestant pills such as 
Actifed and Sudafed are kept behind glass at the Kroger pharmacy. Other 
groceries, drugstores and bargain retail outlets continue to sell the boxes 
on the shelves, which frequently result in shoplifting incidents and arrests.

The most common reports of city arrests connected with decongestant thefts 
stem from Wal-Mart. The south Frederica store accounted for roughly 
one-third of the city police shoplifting incidents during the year since 
April 1, 2003. The majority of the shoplifting complaints there involved 
decongestant pills.

There are a variety of types and strengths of decongestant pills, but in 
order to make an ounce of meth it takes about 1,000 pills of 30 mg 
pseudophedrine, said Officer Scott Norris with the Owensboro street crimes 
unit.

Police said that Wal-Mart loss prevention officers work very well with 
police. Store employees who suspect customers are gathering items for meth 
purposes may even follow them to other stores and watch them gather more 
decongestant pills. Employees frequently alert police to suspicious activity.

"They go above and beyond," said Sgt. Brock Peterson, street crimes supervisor.

Corporate spokespeople with Wal-Mart and Target did not grant permission to 
speak with the loss prevention offices at the stores.

Decker said that work among the two or three loss prevention officers -- 
and by the pharmacists -- at each Kroger store has helped to lessen the 
problems associated with decongestant thefts. Often the pharmacists will 
alert officers to repeat customers, Decker said.

Kroger loss prevention officers keep license plate numbers of suspicious 
customers on file and have a good working relationship with city police and 
the sheriff's department, he said.

Some large drug busts have occurred in the parking lot, he said. Once 
police are notified about a person who tries to buy multiple boxes of 
decongestants, a police search of his or her vehicle sometimes will yield 
drugs, meth lab equipment and other contraband, Decker said.

During his time at Kroger, Decker has suffered minor injuries and had 
people brandish weapons when he approached shoplifting customers, he said. 
Some people have come into the store to buy stockpiles of decongestants and 
bring their small children to maintain an appearance of normalcy, he said.

Some people stopped have been on regional shopping trips from Evansville, 
Henderson or Hopkinsville to gather meth-making ingredients, he said.

"It's a big problem all over," Decker said. "We don't mind the public 
knowing that we'll do our part."

Often helping to fight the spread of meth involves a phone call to 
investigators from a network of cooperative retailers, said Daviess County 
Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Jones.

"We certainly get information from retailers from throughout the 
community," Jones said.

Often the details may be as specific as license plates or just general 
tips, he said.

Wal-Mart has a corporate policy that prevents more than three boxes of 
decongestant pills from being sold at once, said company spokeswoman 
Danette Thompson. Customers who try to buy four boxes receive a paper that 
informs them about the policy prohibiting the sales, she said.

Larger companies are often the ones with the ability to hire security 
personnel, but smaller mom-and-pop style businesses are not immune to the 
epidemic.

Many of the smaller convenience store chains and individual owners have 
taken strides to get the situation under control.

A shoplifting incident that turned violent led to the boxes of 
decongestants being moved behind the counter at all four Franey's Food 
Marts, said Lee Franey, who owns the Daviess County businesses with his 
brothers.

A man took one box of the pills off the shelf in January and was stopped by 
Franey as he tried to leave. A struggle ensued, and Franey managed to 
detain the man until sheriff's deputies arrived. A small quantity of meth 
and drug paraphernalia was found in the man's pocket.

Now employees are permitted to only sell one box per customer, Franey said. 
Store shelves have only two or three boxes at any given time so that any 
spike in sales would be obvious to management, he said.

Jumpin' Jack's operates at least a dozen businesses in Daviess and 
surrounding counties. Employees have been instructed about the laws through 
conversations, e-mails and letters in their paychecks, said vice president 
Randy Northern.

Northern said he personally monitors the purchase forms to look for red flags.

Harish Patel, owner of two Owensboro convenience stores, has stopped 
selling the high-dosage decongestant pills at his businesses. Now, the 
stores only sell the less-potent decongestants and keeps those boxes behind 
the counter, he said.

The changes came after three people staffing Patel's two stores were 
charged by police with illegally selling boxes of the pills for inflated 
prices. Patel was not charged with anything but said the police sting 
operations awakened him to the magnitude of the problem. 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D