Pubdate: Sun, 11 Sep 2005
Source: Burlington Post (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005 Burlington Post
Contact:  http://www.haltonsearch.com/hr/bp/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1528
Author: Howard Mozel, Special to the Post
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?208 (Environmental Issues)

CLANDESTINE DRUG LABS A GLOBAL ISSUE

'Serious Threat To Public'

Defusing the 'chemical time bomb' of clandestine drug labs -- as well as 
the sale of methamphetamine, ecstasy and other illegal substances produced 
in them -- is a major focus of law enforcement across Canada, said 
participants in a special two-day conference held in Halton this past week.

In fact, said Corporal Brent Hill of the RCMP National Chemical Diversion 
Program, it is a global problem that has reached the point where these 
secret -- and very dangerous -- labs have sprung up in residential 
neighbourhoods and now pose a real hazard to first responders like police, 
as well as firefighters and even children.

"These labs pose a serious threat to the public," said Hill, explaining 
that "drug cooks" who are not accomplished chemists with university degrees 
simply don't respect the dangers associated with the chemicals used and 
allow massive profits to override all other considerations.

This, he continued, often leads to tragic consequences such as fires, 
explosions and environmental pollution.

Hill made his comments last Wednesday during the RCMP-hosted 2005 Chemical 
Diversion Awareness Conference at the Oakville Conference Centre. There, 
participants covered topics including escalating illegal labs in Canada and 
the United States, their impact on communities, new illicit drugs on the 
market and more.

"This has been a terrific proactive forum," said Agent Dave Jacobson of the 
United States Drug Enforcement Agency, a guest speaker at the event.

The conference marked a continuation of the work already undertaken by 
government and law enforcement to combat the problem. For example, 
recognizing this escalating threat, the RCMP established the National 
Chemical Diversion Program in 2001. Its mission is to inform and train 
chemical producers, distributors and retailers to recognize the tell-tale 
signs of synthetic drug traffickers, who are obtaining chemicals for 
illegal production of controlled substances, and to limit the accessibility 
of what's known as "chemical precursors."

Chemically, a precursor is a substance that, following a reaction, becomes 
an intrinsic part of a product chemical. Examples are ephedrine and 
pseudoephedrine that are commonly found in cold and allergy medications.

The goal of the diversion program, said Hill, is to disrupt and dismantle 
criminal organizations that are having the most significant impact on Canada.

"Where there is easy illegal profit to be made, there is organized crime, 
and organized crime is gaining a steady foothold into the clandestine lab 
business," he said. "We know that the production and distribution of 
methamphetamine and ecstasy are directly tied to organized crime, with 
proceeds going to support other criminal activities."

The key to a successful program, Hill continued, is the willingness of 
chemical producers to get on board whole-heartedly.

"We appreciate the ongoing support of the Canadian chemical and 
pharmaceutical companies and their associations, the sharing of information 
and their efforts with responsible care and distribution," said Hill. "This 
two-day conference is one of the many steps we can take together to advance 
our common interest against illicit chemical drug production and to make 
our communities safer."

According to Sgt. Doug Culver of the RCMP's Synthetic Drug Operations based 
in Ottawa, during the last five years methamphetamine labs (known as 
'cooks') have represented approximately 60 per cent of all clandestine labs 
discovered in Canada. Ontario has the second highest concentration of these 
operations in Canada, topped only by British Columbia. Demand for synthetic 
drugs continues to rise and the drugs are commonly used at schools, at 
work, at night clubs and at house parties.

Traditionally produced by labs in rural settings, these operations have now 
sprung up everywhere from single-family homes to high-rises. To underscore 
this point, Stratford Mayor Dan Mathieson explained how Perth County has 
become a hotspot for illegal labs and as a result have had "profound" 
social and economic impacts on the area that erode the community's values.

In order to avoid detection through tell-tale odours, labs in the backs of 
moving trucks travelling through the county have been discovered. "That's 
the kind of dangerous cooks we have going on," he said, adding that with 
the help of law enforcement and chemical producers, Perth will someday be a 
"meth-free zone."

Added Culver: "Tragically, as the amount of synthetic drug production 
increases, the presence of children at laboratory sites is also expected to 
rise. We have already seen this trend with indoor marijuana grow operations."

To make matters worse, said Mathieson, there is a known drug dealer in his 
jurisdiction, who has been arrested three times this calendar year alone, 
but still continues to be granted bail.

Jacobson said conferences like the one in Oakville also allow American 
officers to share the successes and failures south of the border which 
overall he characterized as a "very negative experience."

Asked about accusations that synthetic drugs from Canadian labs are flowing 
across the border, Jacobson said that even if that's true, "drugs don't 
distribute themselves or consume themselves."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom