Pubdate: Sat, 13 Sep 2008
Source: Sampson Independent, The (NC)
Copyright: 2008, The Sampson Independent
Contact:  http://www.clintonnc.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1704
Author: Chris Berendt
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

METH LABS IN SAMPSON HAVE DOUBLED SINCE 2007

The number of meth labs found in Sampson County,  through August, has
doubled over the entire amount  discovered and dismantled in 2007 --
and the county's  sheriff said a meth lab has not been found locally
since June.

According to statistics disseminated by the N.C. State  Bureau of
Investigation, there have been 20 confirmed  clandestine lab responses
in Sampson as of the end of  August. There were 10 in Sampson all of
last year.

The SBI has recorded 131 confirmed meth labs in the  entire state,
approximately 40 percent of which have  been in either Sampson or
Harnett counties. Harnett  leads the state with 30 meth labs in 2008.

Similar to Sampson, Harnett has seen its number of labs  double over
its 13 last year.

In 2007, Anson County had far and away the most meth  labs seized with
28 in 2007. This year, that number  stands at nine, third-highest
behind Sampson and  Harnett. Johnston County has seven.

There are numerous counties out of the remaining 96  that have seen
lab responses, however none have had  more than three labs.

Sampson County sheriff Jimmy Thornton said that, while  the 20 meth
labs in Sampson ranks second in the state,  it represents less than a
third of the number of total  meth responses made by sheriff's
authorities this year.

"Even though we had 20 confirmed meth labs in the  county, we had been
to more than 60 locations since the  first of the year."

The most recent of the 20 labs, Thornton noted, was on  Dobbersville
Road in June.

"We've gotten calls (since then), but they've all been  unfounded," he
said.

In addition to the number of meth labs, there have been  still more
meth dump sites found, Thornton said. A dump  site is an area where
byproducts, remains and trash  created during the production of meth
are discarded.  Local authorities have said the contents at such sites
  can be just as harmful as an active meth lab.

Thornton said he knows there is a "double-edged sword"  mentality to
the number of meth labs found. On the one  hand, the statistic can be
an indicator of a  significant meth problem, on the other hand it can
be  seen as a problem with which county residents are well  aware.

According to statistics from the sheriff's Special  Investigation
Division, there have been 62 meth-related  responses in the county
since Jan. 1. The "lion's  share" of the meth responses made -- and
labs found --  have come north of Clinton, the sheriff said.

"Our success has totally been attributed to the public  notifying us
of the presence of meth in our county,"  said Thornton. "We would not
have been nearly as  successful had they not contacted us. There's an
element of trust there, where they know that complaint  will be taken
seriously and it will be investigated."

That community awareness of meth, he said, may not be  present in
other counties.

"Apparently, in other counties, they don't get enough  calls, or
people aren't educated enough to know the  tell-tale signs," Thornton
said. "For the last four  years, we've led the eastern part of the
state, east of  I-95, in the number of meth labs."

He estimated in excess of 60 labs found in that time.

"We've been to more than 60 locations, and a third of  these 60 were
in fact meth labs," the sheriff  continued. "What if we had not gotten
any of these  calls? We would not have gotten any meth labs. There's
got to be meth labs in other counties, there's just got  to be. Maybe
people are just not tuned in to the meth  labs in their counties. Law
enforcement will not be  aware if citizens do not maintain contact
with those  agencies."

The situation is serious, not just in Sampson, but  wherever labs are
found, Thornton said. The meth  operation can quickly spread, with one
"cooker" of the  drug showing another how to cook, before that person
begins their own operation with several other users  recruited to
horde ingredients for the manufacture of  meth.

Thornton said he is driven to cut into the number of  labs, so that
the number might begin to decrease.

"I don't want to say 'eliminate,' because that will  never happen," he
remarked. "But you can keep them on  the run and questioning when law
enforcement is going  to show up."

Thornton said he received a call recently from a woman  whose
granddaughter is recovering from a meth  addiction. She is doing well,
but the addiction is so  strong that the girl fears she will have a
relapse and  needs a place where she can go to get away from any
temptation, Thornton said.

Another woman called the sheriff, and cried for help.  Her son had
been high for two straight weeks, Thornton  said.

"They're begging for help," he remarked. "And we've got  a society
full of individuals addicted to drugs out  there, whether it's pills,
meth, cocaine, marijuana or  anything else. It's truly going to
destroy our society  if we don't get a hold of it."
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