Snap 01-22-07

Methamphetamine Awareness and Prevention Project of South Dakota

METH Awareness And Prevention Project of South Dakota

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January 22

In California – A 39-year-old man was arrested on Meth charges after the car he was riding in was pulled over by police. When the officers learned that the passenger had a warrant out against him, they arrested and searched him. They found 13.8 grams of Meth, 46.4 grams of pot, scale and .270-caliber ammunition.

In Kansas - A deputy responding to a report of a stolen truck ended up arresting four people on suspicion of Meth manufacturing. When the deputy arrived at the house, he noticed a strong ether smell coming from the garage. After getting a warrant and backup, officers found a working Meth lab and 5 grams of Meth, 480 grams of marijuana, ecstasy tablets, crushed ephedrine and a large amount of cash. Of the four people arrested, one was a 29-year-old man scheduled for trial in about a week for a previous Meth-related arrest. The others included a 31-year-old man and two women.

In Alabama - Two men living in a home that was the target of arson are now charged with manufacturing Meth. The men, both 28-years-old, were arrested after the fire and police departments investigating the blaze came across Meth evidence. The suspects were allegedly operating a red phosphorus Meth lab in an outbuilding at the house. The main lab was in the outbuilding, but parts of the lab were in the house.

In Georgia - A judge granted bond to one of three people arrested earlier in January on Meth manufacturing charges. If the 37-year-old woman posts the $50,000 bond, she will have to go directly to a rehabilitation center for eight weeks, and then to a halfway house for at least a year. She is charged with Meth manufacturing, manufacturing Meth in the presence of children, and Meth possession. Some of the conditions of the bond include restricting her from her home and loss of custody of her two teenage sons. The other two suspects in the case haven’t had their bond hearings yet.

In Cape Town, South Africa – The abuse of “Tik”, or crystal Meth, is becoming increasingly popular and creating concern among the country’s health authorities. According to the director of the Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre (CTDCC), the increased rate of usage of crystal Meth is dramatic and, “It is something we haven’t seen before. It is the greatest challenge the CTDCC has ever had to face.” In 2002, less than one percent of the clients at the CTDCC took crystal Meth as their primary drug. In 2003, the number increased to five percent. In May 2004, a third of the patients were crystal Meth users. The South African Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (SENDU), which monitors drug use countrywide, found the greatest increase in users to be those under the age of 20 years. In 1996, 5% of people seeking treatment were under the age of 20. This shot up to 20-25% in 2003. Treatment centres such as the Crescent Clinic’s Chemical Dependency Unit are treating children as young as 13 for crystal Meth addiction. In South Africa, crystal Meth is typically sold in straws, and has many nicknames including “tuk-tuk”, "tik", "straws" and "globes".

In Iowa - Police stopped a driver for an expired tag on his license plate. They discovered that the plate on the front didn’t match the one on the back of the car, and a computer check revealed that neither plate was registered to the car. Their curiosity drew the officers to look inside the car, where they noticed a small black pouch on top of the car stereo. Officers asked the driver, a 22-year-old man, and his passenger, a 21-year old man, which one of them owned the pouch. The driver pointed to the passenger at the same time that the passenger pointed at the driver. When police opened the unclaimed pouch, they found three plastic bags filled with a white crystal-like substance that field-tested positive as Meth. Both men are charged with possession with intent to deliver Meth.