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Methamphetamine Awareness and Prevention Project of South Dakota

METH Awareness And Prevention Project of South Dakota

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April 19, 2007

In Alabama A three-month undercover investigation came to a close in a parking lot, with four people now facing Meth trafficking charges. Agents seized more than 1.5-pounds of Meth, plus three ounces of cocaine and $7,000 cash from one of two vehicles police stopped outside a shopping center. The other vehicle was running block for the drug-carrying one. All four suspects are from Mexico, and each faces two counts of trafficking. Officials say the drugs originated in Mexico.

In Colorado Thanks to a drug-sniffing dog, police arrested four people believed to be part of a drug organization. After a traffic stop, officers arrested a 25-year-old man when they found about 9.2 ounces of Meth in his vehicle. More investigation led them to 10-ounces of Meth inside another car. The man and woman in that vehicle were also arrested, and they face additional charges of child abuse because a youngster was in the car. As authorities continued following leads, they searched a home and found a pound of Meth and $32,000 in cash. That resulted in the arrest of yet another person on charges of Meth possession with intent to distribute. Officials believe all four suspects are part of a drug ring that was a significant source of Meth. In all, they seized over two pounds of Meth.

In Alabama Police received a tip about a suspect involved in two Meth lab explosions and wanted on a charge of Meth manufacturing. The tip led officers to the 19-year-old’s grandfather’s house, where the suspect was hiding out. He faces a felony charge stemming from a March fire that sent him to the hospital. The fire was traced to Meth cooking.

In Pennsylvania A car chase ended in the discovery of what seemed to be a working Meth lab in the suspect’s vehicle. Both driver and a passenger were arrested; the passenger jumped from the moving car before being caught. Police found chemicals and equipment in the car. The driver, who already had a warrant out for his arrest, now faces seven new counts. Another possible Meth lab, unrelated to the rolling lab, was discovered in a vacant house. The lab was not active when officers found it, but the set up was complete for a cook.

In New Mexico A self-admitted Meth dealer was granted a conditional discharge. If the 45-year-old man completes three years of probation, his conviction on a third-degree felony charge of Meth distribution will be stripped from his criminal record. He was originally charged with two counts of Meth distribution, but one was dropped in exchange for his guilty plea.

In Georgia Federal, state, and local law enforcement officials arrested five suspects and seized 10-pounds of ice Meth. The bust came together in a restaurant’s parking lot. Each of the suspects face a charge of trafficking Meth.

In California A woman says her son has been "strung out on Meth" for the past four months and has told his pastor that, if police find him, he would kill himself and take out as many officers as possible. Authorities are searching for the 28-year-old man, after he told his pastor that he wanted to embark on a killing spree that would make the Virginia Tech massacre "look mild," authorities said. He is possibly armed with automatic weapons and explosives. The man’s mother says he was calm the last time she saw him – just days ago – and that they had been trying to get him help, but “he's so strung out on Meth that nobody can talk to him. The drugs make him into something he's not." He has more than one warrant out for his arrest.

In Alabama A concerned citizen passed along information to authorities that led to a Meth lab seizure. Officers found component parts of a Meth lab in an abandoned house. Investigators say that even though it was not active when they found it, the lab could have been made operational in just a few minutes. Authorities are cautioning people to keep an eye on any abandoned or vacant structures on their properties, as Meth cooks are searching them out for manufacturing.

In Texas A former county sheriff’s deputy, 38, was sentenced to ten years confinement and a fine after being found guilty for Meth possession. He reportedly had just over two-grams of Meth on him when he was arrested in 2005.

In Indiana Authorities found nearly a pound of crystal Meth, along with scales and ledgers, at a home when they executed a drug search warrant. A 48-year-old man faces numerous charges, including suspected delivery/manufacture of Meth and Meth possession, as well as maintaining a drug house and being an habitual offender.

In North Carolina A 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of cooking Meth in his home. He is charged with manufacturing five grams of Meth, three counts of possessing pseudoephedrine, iodine and phosphorous, and maintaining a drug house.

In Oregon Three truck drivers were arrested for being under the influence of Meth during a 72-hour truck inspection operation conducted by state police. Troopers and drug enforcement police inspected about 500 trucks during the operation.

In Hawaii A 55-year-old man faces federal firearm and Meth-trafficking offenses connected to a shootout at his home that left one man dead. The victim, a 28-year-old man, was a suspected armed robber. Investigators are still trying to find two men who, along with the victim, tried to break into the suspect’s home. A neighbor told police she heard four or five shots fired and saw two men, one of them carrying a gun, run away from the house. The victim was found lying at the far end of a gravel drive. He died from a gunshot wound to the chest. A shotgun was found nearby. The suspect claims he acted in self-defense. Police seized a .22-caliber rifle, which may not have been registered, and crystal Meth in a warrant search of the home.