Pubdate: Tue, 16 Nov 1999 Source: Los Angeles Times (CA) Copyright: 1999 Los Angeles Times Contact: Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053 Fax: (213) 237-4712 Website: http://www.latimes.com/ Forum: http://www.latimes.com/home/discuss/ Author: Luladey B. Tadesse POLICE APPLAUD PROPOSED INCREASE IN METH PENALTIES Fullerton and La Habra officials say the would welcome stiffer federal sentences for using and making the drug. Methamphetamine dealers in Fullerton and La Habra may face stiffer penalties and longer jail terms if a measure passed by the U.S. Senate last week is signed into law. La Habra and Fullerton police have a keen interest in the federal amendment, because the majority of drug-related arrests in the two cities involve methamphetamine, authorities said. In the last six months, La Habra police made 174 drug-related arrests, La Habra Police Sgt. Phil Stufflebean said. Of the 133 arrests involving possession and sale of illegal drugs, 80% were for methamphetamine, he said. "For the past three or four years, methamphetamine use appears on the increase and appears to be the most popular drug," Stufflebean said. The Fullerton Police Department combines its numbers on methamphetamine arrests with that of amphetamine, which is chemically related but has a slightly weaker effect on the central nervous system. Between 1994 and 1997, the number of people arrested in Fullerton for possession of amphetamines and methamphetamine more than doubled, from 124 to 325. Last year, the number dropped to 185. The Senate measure was presented as an amendment to federal sentencing guidelines for making and selling illicit drugs, including methamphetamine. It was attached to the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1999, which has yet to be approved. The Senate is scheduled to discuss the issue this week before they vote on it and send it to the House for approval. It would then need President Clinton's signature to become law. "Unless the federal government intervenes in the prosecution of drug pushers, the measure will not directly affect state laws against offenders," said Jeffrey Ferguson, Orange County senior deputy district attorney in the narcotics unit. But Ferguson said that if the amendment becomes law, there will be an increase in the prosecution of state offenders at the federal level. "Whenever the federal government takes a strong interest in a particular area of enforcement, there would be more federal cases for the manufacturing of methamphetamine," Ferguson said. The manufacturing and use of methamphetamine is a growing problem in both La Habra and Fullerton. "In La Habra, in the past two years, we have found eight laboratories of people that are manufacturing in their garages, homes or apartments," Stufflebean said. One reason for methamphetamine's surging popularity is that it is less expensive than other drugs, such as cocaine, Stufflebean said. "It is very easy to make, it is very easy to obtain, and drug choices tend to go in cycles," said Fullerton Police Sgt. Joe Klein, who is chairman of the California Narcotic Assn. for Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. "Speed, as methamphetamine is known, was very popular in the '60s, but it went away in the 70s and now we are seeing it come back." A major problem associated with methamphetamine that distinguishes it from other drugs is that it's a fire hazard. "It is a made with very volatile ingredients," Stufflebean said. "They have to be heated and mixed, and unless a person really knows what they are doing, there is a high potential for an explosion or fire." Ferguson said an increase in federal prosecutions will help curb the proliferation of methamphetamine labs. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, authorizes the creation of satellite offices and the hiring of additional federal agents to assist state and local law enforcement officials. It also increases penalties for the distribution of methamphetamine to minors and school environments. "We are very supportive of legislation which adds higher sanctions and penalties for methamphetamine," Klein said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D