Pubdate: Sat, 12 Nov 2005
Source: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, The  (IA)
Copyright: 2005 The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
Contact:  http://www.wcfcourier.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3510
Author: Jeff Reinitz, Staff Writer

TANK LOCKS PASS FIELD TEST

WATERLOO -- Would-be methamphetamine cooks took a crack at the new 
locks on fertilizer tanks earlier this week.

And they went home empty-handed.

A farmer noticed on Wednesday afternoon that his anhydrous ammonia 
tank in the area of Oxley and Wellman roads had been tampered with.

The orange shroud on the integrated lock and spigot was cracked, but 
the thief --- who apparently wanted the chemical to make 
methamphetamine --- wasn't able to defeat the mechanism, said Black 
Hawk Deputy Tony Thompson.

The incident "vindicates our efforts in the war against 
methamphetamine cooking," Thompson said.

He said authorities were pleased with the first "combat field test" 
of the new locks, which began capping tanks in the county earlier this year.

In January, the county began using drug forfeiture funds and money 
from the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy to replace an older 
locking system with one designed by Castell Interlocks.

Castell makes valves and locks that are used to protect Nigerian oil 
pipelines from rebel saboteurs.

The design is easier for farmers to use in the field than earlier 
locks used in the county. It also means they will be locked when they 
are being used in the fields.

They are also more difficult to defeat. Authorities said the only way 
to breach the lock without the required hand wheel key would likely 
cause an uncontrollable leak of the pressurized chemical.

During Wednesday's incident, the meth cooks hooked up a tube to 
another valve on the tank after failing to bypass the lock. But the 
other valve was a vapor vent, and they weren't able to syphon any of 
the chemical, Thompson said.

No arrests have been made in the incident.

Currently, all of the anhydrous ammonia tanks in the county have 
locks with either the old or new devices.
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MAP posted-by: Beth