Snap 03-07-07

Methamphetamine Awareness and Prevention Project of South Dakota

METH Awareness And Prevention Project of South Dakota

Home	About MAPP-SD	What is Meth?	Meth's Effects	Clan Labs	Children	Resources
Business & Agencies	Communities & Groups	Indian Country	Parents	Teens	Schools	Dental

March 7, 2007

In Colorado A woman who received immunity in exchange for her testimony against a suspect accused in the 1997 killing of a police officer was arrested after police found a suspected Meth lab at her home. The 31-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man were taken into custody when police found drugs and lab equipment at her home, as well as her two children, ages 2 and 6. The children were medically cleared and turned over to a family member.

In Texas The Drug Enforcement Agency took down a Meth lab after tracking the suspect on eBay. He bought a chemical used to make Meth from the Web site and had it shipped to his home. The 58-year-old was ordering half-pound quantities of pure iodine crystals from eBay on a monthly basis. Those orders raised a red flag to the DEA, because the man was on probation for Meth charges. When agents searched his apartment, they found a Meth lab but not the suspect. He was already in jail and didn't pass a drug test by his parole officer.

In Illinois Four adults were arrested when police officers serving a narcotics search warrant at a house found a Meth lab in the basement. Three men, ages 31, 26 and 21, and a 28-year-old woman were taken into custody. Two children, ages 2 and 3, were inside the house when officers arrived and two other children, ages 6 and 9, arrived home a short time later. The children were removed from the house, examined at a local hospital and placed in the protective care. Officers seized 1,157 grams of Meth in the search, as well as significant amounts in various stages of production, from the cooking phase up through finished Meth being prepared for consumption and distribution. The house was deemed unfit for further occupancy by city inspectors.

In Minnesota Two men allegedly linked to a series of copper thefts and a Meth lab made their first appearances in court. The lab was discovered during the investigation of a rash of copper wire thefts throughout west central Minnesota and eastern South Dakota last fall. The investigation revealed that the copper was being sold to buy ingredients needed to make Meth. A 25-year-old, a convicted felon, faces a first-degree charge of manufacturing Meth. A 31-year-old is charged with conspiracy to possess Meth. The sheriff’s department is expecting felony charges to be filed against several other people regarding the ring of thefts and Meth lab. The group was allegedly stealing copper wire from vacant farm sites and abandoned irrigation systems. The copper would then be sold as scrap to buy pseudoephedrine and other chemicals needed to manufacture Meth.

In Oregon A young couple was caught with a large stash of Meth in their baby’s diaper bag. Police pulled the couple over and noticed the baby and a three-year-old girl inside the car were not wearing safety restraints. Police searched the car and found 23.2 grams of Meth in a pocket of the diaper bag. Inside the bag, police found a set of scales and baby supplies. Officers also found 6.2 grams of Meth in a plastic bag stuffed between the car’s seats. The 22-year-old man and 20-year-old woman were arrested on multiple charges including possession of Meth, reckless endangerment with a controlled substance, and use of drug paraphernalia. The children were put in custody of Child Protective Services.

In Missouri Three people were arrested and face felony drug charges after police discovered an alleged Meth lab. The men, 57-, 45- and 40-years old, were taken into custody after officers received permission to search one man’s home. The officers were investigating the sale and distribution of Meth. During the course of the investigation, they seized an ongoing, active Meth-production operation and a quantity of Meth.

In North Carolina A 25-year-old man was arrested and two children removed from a home when officers discovered two Meth labs. Sheriff’s deputies investigating a tip found a small lab in the woods near the home and another inside the house. The 3- and 11-year-old children were treated at a hospital and released. The suspect faces charges of child endangerment, Meth manufacturing and other related crimes.

In Arkansas Authorities believe a house explosion may be the result of a Meth lab gone bad. No one was at home at the time of the fire, but the house did sustain heavy damage. Authorities aren't yet sure exactly what sparked the explosion, but say there will be an investigation.

In Ohio An emergency room visit led to the discovery of a home Meth lab. The attending doctor called the authorities when a man showed up with chemical burns to his face. The physician thought the burns looked suspiciously like those from anhydrous ammonia, used in Meth manufacturing. A deputy interviewed the patient and found out where the man sustained the chemical burns. The sheriff’s office served a search warrant at the home and found about an ounce of suspected Meth and materials associated with Meth labs.

In Kentucky A 36-year-old man faces charges in connection with a fire which recently destroyed his home. He is charged with Meth manufacturing, his second offense, for two Meth labs discovered at his home after the fire. Officials found evidence of an active lab cooking Meth in the trailer when it burned on February 24. There was also an active Meth lab in the garage on the property. The man and his 38-year-old wife were both free on a bond from previous drug charges when they were arrested on the latest charges. They are both charged with contempt of court for violating conditions of their bond by continuing drug use. They had pleaded guilty in February to charges of manufacturing Meth and other drug related crimes. The woman has not been charged with Meth manufacturing in connection to the recent fire. If the man is convicted of a second offense manufacturing Meth charge, he could face up to life in prison.

In West Virginia A County Planning Commission was expected to board up and condemn two homes after Meth labs were found in both. A 42-year-old woman and a 37-year-old man were arrested after police found a Meth lab at his house. Officers also found six firearms in the residence. The two are charged with attempting to operate a clandestine Meth lab. Both are free on bond. In another raid, police arrested a 43-year-old man at his trailer home when they found what they describe as an “extensive Meth lab”. They also found two firearms.

In Wisconsin A 38-year-old man was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender on child pornography and Meth production charges. The judge also ordered the defendant to pay the state $5,254 for chemical cleanup necessitated by a Meth lab in his home. He will serve 18 months of extended supervision after his release from prison, and six months of probation after that. He was convicted in December on two felony counts of possession of child pornography and felony counts of maintaining a drug manufacturing place and theft. The case against him was instigated when the Department of Homeland Security found that he had subscribed to a Web site with sexually explicit depictions of young boys for at least five years.