Snap 03-14-07

Methamphetamine Awareness and Prevention Project of South Dakota

METH Awareness And Prevention Project of South Dakota

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March 14, 2007

In California Detectives investigating an identity theft case uncovered a small home Meth lab. The case stemmed from a chiropractor's office, where detectives believe a former employee forged and cashed several checks before disappearing. At least one patient's information was taken from the office's computers and used to open credit card accounts in the victim's name, and detectives expect more identity theft victims to come forward. Detectives are looking for a 35-year-old man in connection to the ID thefts. While tracing the actions of the alleged ID thief, investigators found a small Meth lab in a home. A 41-year-old woman is wanted on suspicion of Meth production.

In Indiana A couple, both 28-years-old, was arrested after police found an ounce of Meth and 668 marijuana plants in their home. Police searched their home after receiving a tip about possible drug activity. Two of the couple’s three children were at home. They were placed in protective custody when the parents were arrested.

In California A man considered a major Meth supplier was arrested after a search of his home turned up least $300,000 worth of Meth. Police found more than two pounds of Meth both inside the house and hidden in a small crawlspace underneath it. Officers also seized three ounces of cocaine, four guns and $2,000 in cash. The 34-year-old suspect was described as not a street dealer, but a supplier to street dealers. Evidence at the house indicated he used people to move the Meth from Mexico through Arizona and into California. When officers raided the house, the suspect, along with his wife, two children and a sister-in-law were all at home. The man allegedly threw some Meth out a window before officers got inside and arrested him. He was arrested on suspicion of possession of Meth and cocaine for sale. He is in the United States illegally and the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency has placed a hold on him.

In Colorado A jury convicted a woman for Meth possession and distribution and no-injury child abuse, all felonies. The child abuse charge was filed because she sold drugs while her son was in the same room. When she is sentenced, she faces anywhere from two to 12 years in prison. In the same county, a 22-year-old man accused of selling Meth near a school received permission from the court to live with family in Wyoming. He also has an assault case pending. He will be allowed to live with his mother in Wyoming while awaiting the outcome of his cases.

In Alabama A man and woman, both 23-years-old, were arrested and charged with trafficking in Meth. Investigators confiscated a half-pound of ice Meth when they arrested the two suspects.

In Indiana Deputies pulled over a car that was swerving and which they had been told may have been bringing drugs into the county. A 22-year-old man, his 20-year-old girlfriend, his 13-year-old sister and his 3-year-old daughter were inside the car. After discovering that neither adult had a valid driver's license, deputies searched the car and found a glass pipe with burnt residue inside it under the passenger seat. While searching the man, the officer found Meth in his front pants pocket. The woman was arrested, charged with possession of paraphernalia, and released on a $500 cash bond. The man was also arrested, charged with possession of Meth and taken to jail, where he became ill as he was being booked. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The young woman told police that the man had swallowed more than two grams of Meth when deputies pulled them over. Autopsy results have not yet been released. The man’s 3-year-old daughter was placed in the protective custody.

In Kentucky Police investigating a tip about a Meth lab found not only the lab but also booby traps and a weapons cache that included automatic guns, hand grenades, ammunition, black powder, a one-use rocket and what was believed to be C-4 explosives. They also found a tripwire running to the back of an aluminum-frame shed to a tear-gas grenade. State and federal authorities investigated the site, a mobile home and shed down a mud road. The Meth lab was found in the mobile home, and the military weapons under a shed on the property. The homeowner, a 36-year-old man, was arrested on an outstanding felony warrant for failure to pay child support, which gave authorities probable cause to enter the mobile home. No charges connected to the Meth lab or weapons have been filed yet. The man is being held without bond.

In Missouri A 38-year-old man was sentenced in federal court to 14 years in federal prison without parole for participating in a conspiracy to distribute Meth. He pleaded guilty in August. He admitted that he got Meth from a 39-year-old man and supplied it to two other people, a 40-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman. The 39-year-old was previously sentenced to 15 years and eight months in federal prison without parole, the other man was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months and the woman received a sentence of to four years and nine months.

In California Four alleged gang members and a 17-year-old boy were arrested and Meth, marijuana, cocaine and a dozen firearms were seized from several residences. The arrests were part of a narcotics and parole-related search. The suspects included a 45-year-old man and his 23-year-old son, two other men, 57- and 19-years-old, and the teen.

In Florida A strong chemical odor coming from a home led narcotics officers to what they described as a major working Meth lab, weapons and stolen property. Police arrested three men, 36-, 30- and 25-years old, while they were trying to run out the back door of the house. All three are charged with Meth manufacturing. One is also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The home had surveillance and heat-sensing equipment. One of the stolen items recovered from the house was a $5,000 Persian rug.

In Minnesota A 28-year-old man was sentenced after pleading guilty to charges of Meth possession and giving peace officers a false name. He was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison, stayed for 10 years with probation up to 10 years. He will serve 180 days in jail, with credit for 112 days served and will pay $1,082 in fines and court costs.

In Oregon A Meth suspect accused of trying to steal car parts was arrested. Witnesses saw a business owner chasing a man near a highway. Deputies found the 29-year-old suspect under a tree and discovered he had a warrant out for a Meth charge. The business owner said he was monitoring his property when he saw an abandoned bike and then spotted the suspect inside his yard. Police found evidence that the man had been stealing metal parts and collecting them in a pile, and he was equipped with a light covered with grease at the time. The suspect was apparently after some catalytic converters. He is charged with burglary and the previous drug possession charge.

In Mississippi A 33-year-old man convicted of drug trafficking and Meth possession was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison. The ex-felon was arrested in April 2006 after federal agents seized more than 220 grams of Meth from a storage unit he rented. Agents also discovered $100,000 in a bank safe deposit box.

In Iowa Police arrested a 30-year-old man after discovering a Meth lab and Meth. The suspect is charged with a felony count of manufacturing Meth and other drug charges. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

In Georgia An 18-year-old man was arrested after he reportedly tried to hide drugs in a shed from police officers. He is charged possession of Meth and possession of tools for the commission of a crime. Police were called to a house where the suspect and another man were causing problems. The other man, who apparently lived at the residence, and the suspect, said they wanted to get into the home to get their clothing and they would leave. Police allegedly saw the suspect hide something in a shed and quickly walk away. When officers investigated, they found a black vinyl case containing paraphernalia commonly used for the ingestion of illicit drugs. It reportedly contained suspected Meth residue.

In Indiana Two women, 30- and 25-years-old, were arrested after a Meth lab was found at a house. They were arrested after police were notified of a possible Meth lab at a vacant home. A search warrant turned up Meth-making ingredients and Meth lab items.

In Manitoba, Canada A couple of traffic stops resulted in three people arrested on drug and gun charges. A 30-year-old man was charged with drug possession, possession of property obtained by crime and several weapons offences after cops pulled him over. They found a sawed-off rifle, ammunition, and a small amount of crystal Meth in the car. A 25-year-old woman who was also in the car faces weapons charges. In a separate case, a 37-year-old man was pulled over after police allegedly spotted him weaving in and out of lanes. Officers found a revolver, ammo, a baton, a knife and about 70 grams of crystal Meth in his vehicle.