MAPP-SD, a project of Prairie View Prevention Services, Inc., is a comprehensive Methamphetamine awareness and prevention project. 
MAPP-SD is dedicated to:
u   Increase awareness of Meth and the problems associated with its use, manufacture and distribution;
u Provide, at no cost, professional Meth awareness and prevention education to groups and organizations on a community, regional and statewide level;
u Be a no-cost, ongoing resource for South Dakota citizens to deal with issues rising from the manufacture, use and distribution of Meth.

Feb. 8-14 Snapshot

February 14
In Minnesota – A Burnsville man who killed his aunt in what prosecutors describe as a ‘Meth-fueled rage’ was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison.  He apparently beat the 50-year-old woman to death because he wanted to make her be quiet.  Prosecutors say he was so high on Meth that he imagined voices coming from his aunt. 

In Kansas - A 12-year-old girl brought Meth to her middle school last week and gave it to another student. According to police, the investigation was triggered when a girl became sick to her stomach.  Police ended up arresting three adults; the 12-year-old girl was taken into juvenile custody.

In North Dakota - A federal appeals panel has upheld the conviction of a Fargo man connected to a major Meth ring and sentenced to 22 years in prison.  The judges denied a motion to have the sentence overturned.  The man appealing his sentence was one of 13 people originally indicted in 2003 in a drug ring federal prosecutors said sold more than 70 pounds of Meth on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation and in other areas in the region. 

February 13
In Arizona - A 43-year-old man is accused of supplying Meth to a 12-year-old girl and smoking the drug with her.  The girl’s mother observed the two using the drug and alerted police.  The suspect faces felony charges. 

In Missouri - The mayor of Irondale, Missouri is facing Meth possession and possession of precursor drugs with the intent to manufacture Meth.  The 29-year-old woman has been mayor since April.  A 38-year-old man who lives in the same home faces the same charges.

In Illinois - A search warrant on the home of a 64-year-old Odin man turned up an alleged Meth lab.  The suspect faces charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of Meth making chemicals.

In New Zealand - A Chinese man and woman, 22- and 25-years old, have been arrested in New Zealand's largest single pure Meth bust.  The couple has been in custody since police found drugs worth an estimated $8 million at a hotel in Wellington.  The bust followed a week-long police and customs investigation which tracked Meth allegedly smuggled from China into Auckland in water filter equipment.

In Michigan - State police dismantled two Meth labs in mid-Michigan. The first was found in a home on Saturday when police executed a search warrant looking for stolen goods – and discovered a working Meth lab in one of the bedrooms.  The second meth lab was discovered early Sunday morning.  Police found materials for a Meth lab in a vehicle when they responded to a call about a break in at a business.

February 12
In New York - Police raided three suspected Meth labs Friday and arrested eight suspects.  Officers found toxic chemicals and the equipment to cook Meth, some actual Meth and thousands of dollars when they raided the two homes and a log cabin.  The raids followed a month long investigation.

In Texas - Twenty-seven people — ranging in age from 23 to 59 — face federal charges of alleged Meth distribution and possession.  They were arrested on indictments handed down in November and January by a U.S. grand jury.  Federal drug charges frequently lead to sentences of 10 years or more in federal prison, generally with no parole.

In Colorado ­– Police are looking for suspects who broke into a storage unit and left behind a Meth lab.   The owners of the storage place discovered it had been broken into and some of their items had been taken. They told police there were unfamiliar bags and boxes left behind.  The burglars even put their own lock on the storage unit to keep people out.  The owner cut off the new lock, opened the unit and immediately smelled strong chemical fumes.  Officials estimate the street value of the Meth found in the lab at about $25,000.

February 11
In Montana - A Butte man, believed to be involved in a major Meth pipeline that reached from Mexico to Montana, was found guilty after a two-day trial in federal court of distributing Meth.  He faces up to 20 years and an $8 million fine for distributing and conspiracy to distribute Meth.  He is one of eight suspects rounded up in the case.  It stemmed from an investigation that started in April 2004. The case involved about 65 pounds of Meth and nearly $750,000 in cash from the sale of the drugs.  The Meth was allegedly shipped from Mexico into Southern California, then to Montana for local dealers to distribute.

In Maine – Five suspects were arrested after a three-month investigation into a Met distribution ring.  Agents from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, along with various local police and sheriff departments and the state police seized thousands of dollars worth of Meth, nearly $61,000 in cash and at least one weapon.

In Indiana - Four people were arrested in connection with a Meth lab explosion that killed a woman.  They are charged with conspiracy to manufacture Meth.  Officers believe they were cooking Meth in a farmhouse when an explosion led to an intense fire. The deceased woman was severely burned and died from asphyxiation due to smoke inhalation. 

February 10
In North Carolina - A routine traffic stop Wednesday led to what sheriff’s officials say is the largest Meth seizure ever in Cleveland County.  A 21-year-old driver was pulled over for speeding, and consented to a search of his vehicle.  Officers found six pounds of Meth hidden in the roof of the car.
The suspect had a valid North Carolina driver’s license, but he has been identified as an illegal immigrant from Mexico.

In Texas - Two men were caught making Meth on February 9 in a home near an elementary school.   Narcotic officers found $130,000 worth of liquid and powdered Meth.

In Washington - Police arrested a 26-year-old woman and her 38-year-old boyfriend during a traffic stop. Their arrests were based on an investigation into Meth trafficking that began in January.  According to detectives, the woman delivered Meth to an undercover officer four separate times - three times within an elementary school zone.  The man was also involved with those three deliveries.
Detectives said the woman admitted to selling Meth.  She was recently released from prison for selling controlled substances.  When detectives searched the couple’s apartment they found 39.1 grams of Meth packaged for sale.

In Indiana – When firefighters arrived at a farmhouse in rural Odon, they found it completely engulfed in flames.  Police officers who responded to the blaze found what they believe to be remnants of a Meth lab and the body of a badly burned person inside the smoking ruins.  Investigators obtained a search warrant to continue sifting for more evidence of Meth manufacturing.  A sheriff’s deputy says that they consider the fire suspicious, but at this point they can’t determine if it is criminal.

February 9
In Illinois - One person was arrested when members of a multi-jurisdictional narcotics unit closed down a Meth finishing operation.  Finishing labs refine manufactured raw Methamphetamine, changing it from a powdery substance into crystal meth.  Officers had the house under surveillance for a number of weeks.  Along with arresting the suspect, officers seized 77-grams of crystal Meth.

In Texas – A 31-year-old man was busted when police found Meth, materials to make more and a samurai sword after he crashed his truck.  The suspect has been charged with manufacturing and distribution of dangerous drugs.  Now he faces more drug charges and unlawful carrying of a dangerous weapon.

In Nevada - A scuffle with two probation officers ended in the death of a convicted felon.  It started when he was told he was going to be jailed for using Meth.  The felon resisted when the probation officers tried to handcuff him after he tested positive for Meth.  The man managed to twist free of the officers and grabbed one’s pistol and radio. During the struggle, the man was shot and struck in the head.  Despite his head injury, he continued to fight.  Officers shot him three times in the chest and torso. 

February 8
In Pennsylvania – Police discovered a possible Meth lab in a home in downtown North East Erie.  Officers seized items that would be used to cook Meth and arrested two men, a 38-year-old and 32-year-old.

In Mississippi - A concerned citizen tipped the Tate County Sheriff's Department to a Meth lab.  A person who noticed a strong smell of ammonia called the officers, who discovered a Meth lab in a wooded area.  They seized about 2.5 ounces of Meth and the suspect’s van.  The 54-year-old man also had what appeared to be a clan lab inside his van.  He is charged with possession of Meth.

In North Carolina - A Charlotte woman who was arrested three times last summer pleaded guilty to drug and weapons charges Monday. In July, police found two separate Meth labs in the suspect’s home. Less than a month later, she was arrested again on similar charges.  Eight days after her second arrest, the woman and her boyfriend were taken into custody after police found Meth-making paraphernalia and a stash of weapons in his apartment.

In Georgia - Police arrested a 41-year-old man after officers found a large quantity of crystal Meth in his car.  Officers stopped the suspect’s car after they received information from an investigation. After searching the car, investigators found four ounces of crystal Meth.  He was charged with trafficking Meth, a felony under Georgia law.