Snap 04-11-07

Methamphetamine Awareness and Prevention Project of South Dakota

METH Awareness And Prevention Project of South Dakota

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April 11, 2007

In South Dakota A 39-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to running a Meth lab in Doland was sentenced to prison. The defendant, from Missouri, pled guilty to two felony charges that together carry as much as 15-years in prison and fines up to $30,000. She was sentenced to seven years, with two suspended, on one count and five years on the second. The sentences will be served concurrently. She was arrested, along with her 38-year-old husband, and charged with operating at least one home Meth lab. Her husband also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

In Missouri A neighborhood awoke to the screams of four children and a young couple who had just escaped from their home after a suspected Meth lab exploded in their basement. A 30-year-old man and an 11-year-old girl were injured in the resulting fire. Two of the children, girls ages 11 and 12, ran to a neighbor’s home in their bare feet, pounded on her door and yelled, "Our house is on fire!" The 11-year-old’s feet were burned when she ran through the flames to escape the fire that started just outside her bedroom. Law enforcement believes the man, who sustained burns on his arms, was cooking Meth in the basement. Charges have not been filed concerning the lab or the fire. The other children in the home, ages 9 and 3, along with a 27-year-old woman, were not injured. The woman was arrested on an outstanding warrant for felony stealing; authorities also say she was on a "pill list," which tracks people who buy more than 9 grams of ephedrine within a month. The children were placed in state custody.

In Arkansas A 33-year-old man was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role as an accomplice in a Meth sale to undercover officers. He was also given a $15,000 fine. He has two other pending drug charges. The other defendant in the case, a 28-year-old man, pleaded guilty to the charges and received a 20-year prison sentence.

In Idaho A 25-year-old woman accused by police of being unconscious due to Meth use while her half-naked toddlers were outside in a rainstorm has been arrested and her children taken into protective custody. She has been charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor injury to a child. Police said her 2-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl were wet and wearing T-shirts; the girl also wore a soiled diaper hanging to her knees. Police found the children after someone saw the youngsters and called for help.

In Missouri A federal jury convicted a 42-year-old man for Meth possession with intent to distribute, conspiracy to manufacture Meth and illegal possession of several firearms. The defendant has a string of prior criminal felony convictions. When he was arrested, he had at least five weapons ranging from pistols to rifles. Under federal statutes, he could be sentenced to up to 60 years in federal prison without parole, plus fined up to $2.25 million.

In Tennessee A man and a woman were arrested after police allegedly found a Meth lab in their home, where a 1-year-old baby also lived. The 44-year-old woman and 36-year-old man are charged with manufacturing Meth and child neglect. The baby, who is the woman’s granddaughter, was taken to a hospital and checked for possible contamination before being placed into the state’s custody. After receiving written permission to search the home, deputies discovered the alleged Meth lab in the basement’s laundry room, including a bucket containing three glass jars with multi-layered liquids in them. A further search of the house turned up several more Meth items.

In Oregon Drug agents arrested two transients staying at a friend’s apartment after detectives raided the place and searched the couple’s car, finding crystal Meth, cash, six rifles, and narcotics paraphernalia. Police received information that the two suspects, 32- and 26-years-old, were selling Meth. Both are charged with possession and delivery of Meth, and six counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In Minnesota A 39-year-old woman faces up to 30 years in jail and a million-dollar fine for the sale and possession of Meth. She is charged with felony first-degree sale and fifth-degree possession. She allegedly met twice with an undercover agent working for the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and sold him more than 12-grams of Meth. A search of her home also yielded about 2.5 grams of Meth and 2 ounces of marijuana, 57 marijuana plants.

In Australia New statistics on drug use show Australians are the biggest users of ecstasy and amphetamines in the English-speaking world. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report says one in five Australians in their 20s has tried Meth. Of Australians aged 14 and over, nine percent had used Methamphetamines in their lifetime. Meth users were also likely to take it in conjunction with other drugs. Around 87-percent of those aged 14 and over had drunk alcohol in conjunction with Meth while 68-percent had combined it with marijuana and 49-percent with ecstasy.
ACCESS FULL REPORT (PDF)

In Minnesota Drug charges have been filed against a 26-year-old woman accused of buying and selling Meth from her home, where she lived with her two children (4-years old and 8-months), her boyfriend, parents and two other people. She faces six felony drug charges, including one count of Meth-related crimes involving children and vulnerable adults. One of the charges alleges she conspired with a 37-year-old man who was one of 10 people indicted on a charge of conspiracy to distribute Meth. Police worked with an informant to set up controlled buys from the woman. When officers obtained and executed a search warrant at her home, they found a safe in the basement. The suspect provided the combination; when police opened the safe they found 21-grams of Meth in several containers; a plastic case with 763 methadone tablets, drug notes and drug paraphernalia. There was an area in the basement sectioned off for people to sit and smoke Meth. Officers also found a black plastic bag containing two gallon-size baggies of marijuana. The woman apparently told officers that she had slowed down in selling Meth because it was taking up too much of her time and she wanted to spend more time with her kids.