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.

November 14-19 Snapshot

 

Nov. 14
In Pennsylvania - A former Pittsburgh police officer pleaded guilty to conspiring with a neighbor who manufactured Meth, but denied claims that he was making the drug himself.  The 37-year old was fired from his job after his arrest in February.   Authorities found chemicals and a hot plate in the suspect’s apartment that they say were used to make Meth.  They also found a small amount of the drug.  The man will be sentenced in March.

In Illinois - A 28-year-old man ended up in a St. Louis Hospital after what police say was a mobile Meth lab exploded in the vehicle he was riding in.  Police say the incident began when a tank containing anhydrous ammonia exploded. The mobile Meth lab was in a 2000 KIA 4-door, owned by a 26-year-old woman.  They are not sure if she was in the car at the time of the explosion. Police say the driver of the vehicle fled the area on foot.

Nov. 15
In Illinois – A chase after a man wanted on a charge of conspiracy to distribute Meth ended up with two injured deputies.  The suspect used his vehicle to attempt to ram and run other cars off a road.  He then jumped from his vehicle and ran into a wooded area.  One deputy suffered a broken foot while attempting to detain the suspect; another deputy was struck in the eye with a tree limb during the arrest.  The suspect was taken into custody; both deputies have been released from treatment and may be back at work soon.

In New Mexico – A triple murder tied to a Meth case on the Navajo Nation is seen as a wake-up call to the danger the drug poses for the local communities.  The Superintendent of Central Consolidated School District hopes that the shooting should be a wake-up call for parents, educators, government officials and those involved with the drug.  "I think we have to approach it more aggressively. I'm hoping this will scare some of our young people.  It could easily happen within our schools. I have no doubt that we have students in our system who use Meth on a regular basis."  She believes that a community-wide conversation needs to happen soon so that the topic of Meth use on the reservation, which had rarely been discussed openly prior to the murders, can be approached while it is in the forefront.

In Tennessee – A 48-year old business owner will spend 6-1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to selling ice from both his home and his business.  Before his arrest, he had dozens of employees, trained more than 100 others to inspect nuclear power plants, sponsored a variety of children’s sports teams and donated thousands of dollars to universities.  The judge and prosecutor agreed that he was not a typical Meth criminal, but that didn’t lead to reduced sentencing.  After his prison term, he will be placed on eight years supervised release.   

 In North Carolina - Police arrested a man after discovering a portable Meth lab in the bed of his truck.  The 33-year old was charged with manufacturing Meth and other charges are pending.  Deputies found the suspect sitting inside the pickup truck parked on a dirt path off a road at about two in the morning after someone reported seeing a suspicious vehicle.

In Texas - A man was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Meth manufacturing charges.  He was arrested in February at a motel, where officials say he had two young girls in the room that could have inhaled dangerous fumes from Meth-making.  Police said the suspect was affiliated with white-supremacist gangs, and at his sentencing, people testified he is a member of a hate group.

In Massachusetts – Boston police investigating an overdose death at a bizarre drug-fueled ‘sex party’ discovered a Meth lab – just a few hundred yards away from the Children’s Museum.     The 29-year-old who lived in the apartment died Sunday afternoon, possibly high on ecstasy, during the party.   Officers found marijuana plants, ecstasy and other pills as well as chemicals used to produce drugs. Police said they found the Meth lab behind a locked door.   A specially trained Haz-Mat team from New York was called in to dismantle the Meth lab.

In London, England - Police are warning the public about the dangers of Crystal Meth - a drug that has ruined millions of lives in the US and is now available on the streets of Britain.  Authorities in the United Kingdom believe Meth is taking hold in the gay club scene and there are fears that there could be an explosion in its use.

In Oklahoma - An arrest warrant has been issued for a businessman accused of selling more than 10-million tablets of pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in making methamphetamine.  He is charged with racketeering for allegedly selling $2.2-million worth of the tablets from January 2002 to April 2004.  Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesman Mark Woodward says that's enough pseudoephedrine to produce 1,237 pounds of Meth.  The suspect owns a distribution company and is accused of selling the tablets to convenience stores, bait shops, smoke shops and head shops across Oklahoma.

Nov. 16

In Massachusetts – A Drug Enforcement Administration agent described the Meth lab discovered in Boston as a drug factory.  Investigators discovered hundreds of chemicals in what the unnamed agent calls “The largest Meth lab we’ve seen in the Northeast in the past 10 years.”  Friends identified the 29-year old man whose overdose death led to the discovery of the lab as an MIT graduate.  The Massachusetts State Senate approved a bill limiting access to nonprescription medicines containing pseudoephedrine – a main ingredient in Meth – just days after the recent lab was discovered.

Nov. 17
In Colorado - Drug officers instigated a sweep through Loveland and dismantled what they believe was one of the largest Meth sales operations in Larimer County.  They still seek a Loveland man, thought to be the lead dealer, although The bust landed two alleged key players in jail; a third man, considered the ringleader, is still on the loose.  Officers say the man on the run allegedly got four to five pounds of Meth from a supplier every week, and the ring then resold the drug around the area.  During the sting operation, officers seized about three pounds of Meth. Another 20-plus arrests, made during the eight-month investigation, tie to the ring.  The sweep covered three homes in Loveland.  

In Indiana - A judge compared Delaware County's first convicted methamphetamine cook to a terrorist after sentencing the Muncie man to 30 years in prison.  The 30-year old man was arrested last December when police discovered a Meth lab in his home – less than a thousand feet from a school.  The suspect’s three-year-old son was living in the home at the time.

Nov. 18
In Montana - Four men, three from Montana and one from Washington received a scolding from a judge as well as prison sentences in federal court.  They were all charged with dealing Meth.  Two of the men received less than five years, one received six and the fourth man – who had an extensive prior criminal history – received a 24-year prison term. 

In Minnesota – A class discussion focused on Meth’s dangers was a bit too much for some high school students.  Eleven youngsters fainted during a graphic presentation by a former Meth addict.  Four ambulances, three police officers and the school nurse were all called on to help. 

In Washington - A woman accused of a string of bank robberies, one on Halloween while wearing a witch costume, told authorities she did so to support a Meth habit.  The 22-year old appeared in court on charges of first-degree robbery, identity theft, three counts of first-degree theft, and one count of criminal impersonation.  She faces ten to fourteen years in prison if she is convicted on all charges.  Her 36-year old boyfriend was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree robbery for his alleged role of getaway driver.  He may be extradited to California for parole violations.  Because he has an extensive criminal record, he may get a life sentence under Washington’s ‘three strikes’ law.

Nov. 19
In Nebraska – A 45-year old woman was given two-years probation for a misdemeanor, attempted possession of a controlled substance.  Her 49-year old husband was sentenced to 30 months probation for a felony - attempted possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver.  The woman taught fourth-grade for eight years in Omaha until she resigned in June, following the arrest.  The couple was arrested after police found Meth near the crib of their six-month-old granddaughter, who was being cared for by the couple at the time of the search.
Records show neighbors complained about possible drug activity in the home. (Sioux City Journal)

In Montana – A woman admitted in court to conspiring to traffic Meth.  She said she picked up the drug from a friend and gave it to a third person who then sold it.  She faces a minimum mandatory 10 years to life in prison and a $4 million fine. 

In North Dakota – A SWAT team made a Meth bust that resulted in the arrests of six people in Bismarck.  The arrests were made at a duplex residence where officers found 1.5 ounces of Meth with an estimated street value of $4,000. 

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