After three years of sitting atop the state in the number of meth lab busts, McDowell has passed the title on to another county. McDowell saw five labs dismantled in 2007. That's a huge decrease from 25 in 2006, 61 in 2005 and 43 in 2004. For the past three years, meth makers have engulfed narcotics officers' time. Some residents thought the title was a bad thing. But it didn't mean that McDowell had more labs than other counties in the state. It meant that authorities weren't shying away from busting those who manufactured the dangerous and hazardous drug. [continues 316 words]
Beginning this week, drug and alcohol abusers will have another tool in the fight against their addictions. Drug Treatment Court (DTC) begins this Friday in McDowell. From there it will be held in McDowell and Rutherford counties, which make up Judicial District 29A, on alternate Fridays. The district's Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Laura J. "Suzy" Bridges wrote the grant requesting funding for the program. McDowell and Rutherford have ranked atop the state in the number of meth lab busts for the past three years. [continues 675 words]
RALEIGH, N.C. - County sheriffs would be allowed to review pharmacy records while investigating the illegal use or sale of prescription drugs under a bill that cleared a Senate committee Tuesday. State law allows federal and State Bureau of Investigation agents, along with certain state health regulators, to inspect prescriptions, order forms and records of controlled substances. Sheriffs believe they should have the same access because they are often the first investigators in drug-related cases. "The sheriff is constitutionally elected," said Sen. John Snow, D-Cherokee, the bill's sponsor. He said current law "ignored where the rubber meets the road, and that's the local sheriff's office." [continues 369 words]
RALEIGH, N.C. - The number of methamphetamine labs found by North Carolina law officers dropped 40 percent between 2005 and 2006, thanks largely to a law restricting the sale of cold medicines used to make the illicit drug, authorities said Friday. State figures show there were 197 labs found in 2006, down from 328 the previous year. "I think that they got the word that we're serious about this," said Lt. Jackie Turner Jr. with the McDowell County Sheriff's Office. The county topped the state's 100 counties with 25 labs busted last year. [continues 607 words]
For The Third Year In A Row, Mcdowell Has Placed Atop The State In The Number Of Meth Lab Busts. But it's not something residents should frown upon. It doesn't mean McDowell is tops in the state in the number of meth-making locales but that authorities are finding the ones we have. "I think they got the word that we're serious about this, " said Lt. Jackie Turner Jr., who heads McDowell County's Drug Enforcement unit. And, another positive, the number of meth lab busts in the county - and across the state - in 2006 plummeted compared to the figures in 2004 and 2005. [continues 632 words]
Drug Ops Have Cut Numbers Drastically Operation Speedflick. Operation Roadrunner. Operation IceMelt. Operation Ice and Iron. They're all responsible for taking methamphetamine out of homes in McDowell and across the western region. U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert of the western district of North Carolina, joined by agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, McDowell County sheriff's deputies, Marion police officers and other regional law enforcement, held a press conference in Marion Thursday as part of the U.S. Justice Department's National Methamphetamine Awareness Day. [continues 372 words]
At Least We're Consistent. With the majority of the year already behind us, state statistics show that McDowell is again atop North Carolina in the number of meth lab busts. "We're still leading, but the number of labs we've had this year is down tremendously," said Lt. Jackie Turner Jr. of the McDowell County Sheriff's Office, who heads the local narcotics unit. "We're still getting some tips (about meth lab locations) but nothing like we were." [continues 312 words]
RALEIGH, N.C. - The next phase in the fight against methamphetamine should emphasize tightening U.S. borders to prevent drug trafficking, voluntary random drug testing at schools, and expanding treatment for addicts, the nation's drug czar said Tuesday. "Today we have to learn that meth is both a problem on the preventative side and the supply side," John P. Walters, director of the White House drug policy office, said during a news conference in Lenoir with law officers in western North Carolina. [continues 518 words]
A new law that restricts the sale of certain cold medicines is getting credit for a decrease in methamphetamine labs across North Carolina, but it's not doing much to stifle law enforcement concerns about the drug. One law alone won't solve the problem, they say - officials must still educate the public about the drug's dangers, help addicts and fight traffickers. "There are still meth labs in McDowell County. People are just doing a better job of hiding them," said Lt. Jackie Turner Jr., who heads up McDowell County's drug enforcement unit. [continues 211 words]
McDowell may finally be getting a reprieve from all the bad meth publicity. A yearlong state grant will provide 300 to 400 drug addicts and their families with free treatment. McDowell has received funding to create a methamphetamine-specific treatment program working in conjunction with the county's Department of Social Services and ARP/Phoenix, a mental health and substance abuse treatment center. Officials say it's a welcome service in a county that's placed atop the state for the past two years in the number of meth lab busts. "(The program) is comprised of a team of agencies in McDowell County working to improve the sobriety, safety and stability of individuals and families involved in methamphetamine use," said a brochure about the program. "Any person(s) using or making methamphetamine and their families are eligible to receive services." [continues 102 words]
Meth lab numbers are plummeting across North Carolina and in McDowell, the state's leader in lab busts the past two years. State officials attribute the decrease to a new law that restricts the sale of cold medicines used to make the drug. However, local authorities say federal prosecution has cut the figures locally. "The law has helped, but we've put over 70 people in federal prison for cooking. That's been the biggest contributor here," said Lt. Jackie Turner Jr., who heads up McDowell County's Drug Enforcement division. Agents with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation busted 11 meth labs in May, a 69 percent drop from the 35 labs discovered in May 2005. McDowell saw only one in May of this year, compared to about eight in May 2005. State officials said agents have busted 112 labs from the date the law took effect on Jan. 15 through May 31. They found 172 labs for the same period last year, according to a news release. Locally, there were 43 labs from January to May 2005 and 20 during the same time period this year. "The more we're able to stop criminals from making meth here, the more we'll be able to go after criminals who are trafficking meth, cocaine and other drugs into our state," Attorney General Roy Cooper said in a statement. Methamphetamine is cheap to make and often "cooked" in homes, cars or motels. The new law requires anyone who buys cold tablets containing pseudoephedrine and ephedrine to show a photo ID at a store counter and sign a log. Most liquid, gel-capsule and children's forms of the medicines, which are not generally used to make the drug, remain freely available on store shelves. Turner said, even though the law is beneficial to investigators, it still has its loopholes. He added that drug makers are shopping from pharmacy to pharmacy and signing the register at each place. They're also going of the county and out of the state to buy, he stated. [continues 158 words]
A Buncombe County man will spend the next six months in prison after officers found him in possession of drugs on federal land in McDowell. Blake Freeman Price, 21, of Asheville pleaded guilty last week in U.S. Magistrate Court to possession of less than one gram of cocaine. He was sentenced to six months in federal prison to be followed by one year of supervised release and a $1,000 fine. Price was in a campground in the Curtis Creek area of McDowell in September 2005, when he was cited by a U.S. Forest Service officer for possession of cocaine. [continues 185 words]
The booming meth epidemic is not only putting a strain on law enforcement but also on hospitals, according to two recent studies. The surveys, conducted by the National Association of Counties, shows that 73 percent of county and regional hospitals reported an increase in the number of meth-related cases over the last five years, and 14 percent of hospitals said meth-related cases account for up to 20 percent of all patients. Forty-seven percent of the hospitals said meth is the most commonly found narcotic involved in their drug cases. [continues 299 words]
The battle against meth in McDowell and across the state now has an ally. A new law that limits access to the drug's key ingredient went into effect Sunday. It requires that all single- and multi-source tablets, caplets or pills containing pseudoephedrine and ephedrine be sold behind pharmacy counters. Purchasers must be at least 18 years old, show a photo ID and sign a log to buy the medications. The law also limits purchases of pseudoephedrine products to no more than two packages at once and no more than three packages within 30 days without a prescription. [continues 443 words]
For the second year in a row, McDowell County has placed atop the state in the number of meth lab busts. The county garnered the dubious distinction in 2004 as well, but authorities say it's not something that should be taken as bad news. They've contended in the past that the meth problem is booming all over the state, but some counties focus more attention on finding clandestine labs. "We've aggressively looked for them, and we're not done," said Lt. Jackie Turner Jr., who heads McDowell County Drug Enforcement. "Most of the ones we got were during the first half of the year. The ones we're getting now are multiple offenders." [continues 361 words]
Local authorities say Target hit the bull's-eye in its move to take key meth-making medicines off their store shelves. And they hope other businesses will follow in Target's footsteps. The national discount retailer announced its plan Monday to pull many cold, allergy and cough remedies from their regular shelves and sell them only from pharmacy counters. "We applaud anybody who makes it more difficult for people to get the ingredients," said Lt. Jackie Turner Jr., who heads McDowell County Drug Enforcement. "If we work together, maybe we can kick this thing." [continues 373 words]
Use common sense. That's the message officials tried to convey to McDowell's merchants Tuesday during a methamphetamine forum aimed at educating businesspeople and slowing down what one called a "phenomenon." Authorities busted 322 labs across the state in 2004, up from 177 in 2003. Of those dismantled statewide, they found 45 here last year, making McDowell tops in North Carolina for the number of busts. Thus far, there have been 23 in McDowell in 2005 and 100 across the state. [continues 824 words]
A boom in the number of meth labs in western North Carolina has attracted the attention of state Senator Joe Sam Queen and Attorney General Roy Cooper. The two will visit McDowell County Thursday to discuss how to help law enforcement officers crack down on the meth makers. They'll speak at the Marion Rotary Club at noon and at the McDowell Technical Community College auditorium from 2 to 4 p.m. "Meth is an extremely addictive and hazardous drug that threatens our communities in new ways," said Queen, D-Haywood, who invited Cooper to the area and arranged the talks. "Our law enforcement officers need modern tools to fight these new dangers, and our state needs tough penalties for those who put our children and communities at risk." [continues 232 words]
As the number of meth labs continues to boom across the state, landfill operators are seeing more fires ignited by the drug's waste. And McDowell is no exception. "What happens when you're getting ready to get caught with something?" asked Mike Gladden, the county's Public Works director. "You throw it away." The homemade stimulant methamphetamine is manufactured with hazardous chemicals and produces toxic fumes. Jon Lewis, supervisor of the local transfer station, said fires started popping up at the landfill a year or more ago, but they didn't realize then what was happening. [continues 551 words]
As methamphetamine manufacturing burgeons in North Carolina, state Attorney General Roy Cooper said this week the state needs to take steps to stay ahead of the problem. While North Carolina dug out from a winter storm, Cooper said he wanted to talk about "a different kind of ice" - a reference to the street name for methamphetamine's highly pure, crystalline form. "Here in North Carolina, we have a huge problem," Cooper said. Meth is a highly addictive illegal drug that has spread eastward from California since the early 1990s. [continues 521 words]
