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The following
stories provide a glimpse into the battle against Meth. They are
summaries drawn from a range of online sources, including newspapers,
television stations and organizational web sites of recent stories
concerning Meth, clan labs and arrests.
Please scroll down
for previous Snapshots.
March 14
In
Indiana - Four men were arrested after grocery store employees noticed
that the items they bought are commonly used to make Meth. An alert clerk
noticed that one man bought cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine and
starter fluid – both common in the manufacturing of Meth. After police
were called and were able to search the suspects’ van, they found a total
of five boxes of cold medicine and four cans of starter fluid, bought at
various local stores. Police also found a small amount of Meth as well as
a metal pipe with marijuana residue and a glass pipe in the glove
compartment of the van. All four suspects were arrested on charges of
possession of precursors.
In
Minnesota - A 25-year-old man arrested Saturday in Lewiston at the
scene of a Meth bust was paroled three months ago on a previous Meth
conviction. He had been sentenced in 2003 to more than seven years in
prison. He was found at a home where officers were investigating a tip
about a Meth lab.
March 13
In
Kentucky -
The
manager of a farm supply store has been charged with selling large amounts
of anhydrous ammonia to make Meth. Police say they saw the 42-year-old
man open a gate for two other suspects to access the tank.
In
Michigan - Two men were sentenced for their involvement in a murder
and Meth case. A 23-year-old man shot and killed the victim, who was
trying to escape a burning bus that was in use as a Meth lab. He received
a 34-year prison sentence. A 31-year-old man, who gave the other suspect
the gun, was sentenced to 17-years in prison.
A 28-year-old man,
brother to one of the suspects, avoided further jail time by
testifying for the prosecution.
In
Colorado - A 44-year-old man who was pulled over for a defective brake
light ended up hospitalized after allegedly swallowing a baggie of Meth.
Officers attempted to get the suspect to spit out the baggie, but he had
already swallowed it. They discovered another baggie with Meth in it in
the suspect’s jacket.
In
Texas – A 28-year-old man was arrested by the
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency while he was attempting to take
a taxi into Mexico. He was wanted on a federal indictment for Meth
trafficking. Agents found a handgun and a small amount of Meth on the
suspect when they arrested him.
In
South Carolina - Three people are under arrest and authorities are
searching for a fourth after discovering an apparent Meth lab. Deputies
serving papers for a court-ordered mental evaluation on a 22-year-old man
noticed marijuana and what looked like a Meth lab in a truck in the
backyard of his home. A narcotics team executing a search warrant found
400 grams of Meth and two pounds of materials being cooked into Meth and
an assault rifle.
In
Alabama -
During a routine
traffic stop, Drug Task Force agents seized drugs and suspicious chemicals
from a vehicle that led them to a Meth lab at the home of one of the
suspects.
March 12
In
Washington - Two men and a woman were arrested after sheriff’s
deputies and a state patrol SWAT team raided their home. Authorities
received a tip that drugs were being made and sold from the home.
Investigators say they found an active Meth lab in the house.
In
New Zealand - A hearing date was set to
determine whether a Chinese man and woman arrested in New Zealand's
largest single pure Meth bust will face trial. The two suspects are
jointly charged with possessing, importing and conspiring to supply Meth.
The charges follow a police raid at a hotel in January, where officers
found 8.1kg of the drugs, estimated to be worth $8 million.
In
Minnesota - Police from several agencies raided a Meth lab Saturday
afternoon less than a block from a high school. Officers acted on tips
that people were using Meth at a home; when they searched the residence
they found a lab in the garage.
March 11
In
Illinois - A 30-year-old woman pleaded guilty to possession with
intent to deliver less than five grams of Meth. She was placed on two
years probation and 30 hours of public service work.
In
California -
The Sonoma
County Sheriff's Department is asking for the public's help in finding a
Santa Rosa man wanted for his alleged connection to more than two-pounds
of Meth. The 22-year-old has a $10,000 arrest warrant issued against him
after detectives found more than two-and-a-half pounds of Meth, more than
$3,000 and a firearm.
March 10
In
Iowa -
A
38-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison on federal drug charges,
including one count of attempting to manufacture Meth. He was convicted
on similar charges in 1998 and 2002.
In
Arkansas –
After
pleading guilty to manufacturing and possessing Meth, a 29-year-old man
received a 15-year prison sentence.
In
Florida - A routine traffic stop led authorities to a Meth lab in a
travel trailer. Two suspects were arrested in connection to the lab.
In
Pennsylvania -
A former
police officer was fined $2,000 and sentenced to one year's probation
after pleading guilty to operating a Meth lab. A federal judge gave the
37-year-old credit for four months already served in jail.
In
Georgia - Two men who tried to escape from
authorities by running and tossing Meth on a road were arrested on drug
distribution charges. The 29-year-old and the 26-year-old are charged
with possession of Meth with intent to distribute. In addition to Meth,
officers also found a weapon.
March 9
In
Georgia - Investigators discovered a working Meth lab in Crawford
County and seized 9 ounces of Meth from the residence. Two men were
arrested and charged with manufacturing Meth.
In
Idaho – Two suspects are charged with felony manufacturing and
trafficking after narcotics investigators found a Meth lab in a residence.
In
Kansas - An officer investigating a light in an abandoned house
stumbled across a Meth lab. Evidence of a lab was left in the house. A
haz-mat crew was called in to clean up the waste, which included bottles,
pipes and other Meth materials. A neighbor claimed the house was part of a
‘shell game’, people moving from one abandoned property to the next to
make Meth. The neighbor said the people were burying drugs in a U-Haul in
the back yard.
In
Utah – A 5-month-old girl died of a Meth
overdose, and authorities claim her mother and mother’s boyfriend are at
fault. According to a toxicology report, the baby had enough Meth in her
system to kill an adult. The 43-year-old boyfriend admitted he was
getting ready to ingest Meth while watching the girl. He allegedly set
the plastic bag containing the drug beside the baby and went to speak to
his father; when he returned, he noticed the infant had something in her
mouth. He retrieved the bag and found that the Meth had dissolved in her
saliva. She suffered through several stages of a Meth overdose. The next
morning the mother noticed the baby was blue and not breathing. She and
her boyfriend took the infant back to the mother’s home before calling for
medical help. The police chief claims that if the adults had called
earlier, the baby would have lived.
In
Colorado - The El Paso County Sheriff's Department discovered a
Meth lab across the street from an elementary school. The school
superintendent closed the school for the day as a precaution. The
ventilation system was also shut down to prevent harmful chemicals from
reaching classrooms. Deputies discovered the lab at an apartment after
receiving an anonymous tip.
In
Pennsylvania -
Two
brothers accused of operating a Meth lab in
the basement of a
personal care home were indicted by a federal
grand jury. They were arrested in August for allegedly running the
lab and were indicted on charges that they conspired to and did
manufacture 500 grams or more of Meth. If they are convicted, they could
face a maximum sentence of life in prison, a fine of $8.25 million, or
both. When a federal DEA task force raided the lab, agents found Meth
ingredients, five 55-gallon drums of matches, equipment, acids, paint
thinner and heat sources for cooking the Meth.
In
Indiana -
A man who said he
used Meth to help him through long work shifts was sentenced to a two-year
suspended prison sentence for possession. The 49-year-old said he started
using Meth because he was working 12 hours a day and 7 days a week but
that the drug failed to keep him focused. In fact, he told the judge,
“The more I got into the drug, the less I was working.”
In
Illinois - A Cook County assistant state's attorney was ordered held
in lieu of $3,000 bail on drug charges after Chicago police allegedly
found crystal Meth in his apartment. He was arrested after police
allegedly found the drugs during a well being check at his apartment, when
officers entered the residence and found the drugs – about 2.4 grams worth
- in plastic bags on a table. He could face up to 3 years in prison if he
is convicted.
March 2-8 Snapshot
Feb. 22-March 1 Snapshot
Feb. 15-22 Snapshot
Feb. 8-14 Snapshot
Feb. 1-7, 2006 Snapshot
January 25-31 Snapshot
January 19-24, 2006 Snapshot
January 12-18, 2006 Snapshot
Jan. 6-11, 2006 Snapshot
Jan. 1-5, 2006 Snapshot
Dec. 28-31, 2005 Snapshot
Dec. 19-27, 2005 Snapshot
Dec. 15-18, 2005, Snapshot
Dec. 11-14, 2005 Snapshot
December 1-6
November 22-30
November 14-19 Snapshot
November 8 - 13 Snapshot
November 1-7 Snapshot
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