MAPP-SD, a project of Prairie View Prevention Services, Inc., is a comprehensive Methamphetamine awareness and prevention project. 
MAPP-SD is dedicated to:
u   Increase awareness of Meth and the problems associated with its use, manufacture and distribution;
u Provide, at no cost, professional Meth awareness and prevention education to groups and organizations on a community, regional and statewide level;
u Be a no-cost, ongoing resource for South Dakota citizens to deal with issues rising from the manufacture, use and distribution of Meth.

May 9, 2007

In South Dakota – The latest Meth lab found in Sioux Falls was discovered when officers were serving a warrant to a 37-year-old sex offender that had failed to register.  When the suspect was arrested, a patdown search revealed a bag of Meth and a digital scale in his pocket.  That was enough to warrant a search of his home, where investigators turned up a Red P Meth lab in the basment – a type of lab that is rare in the Midwest. They also found recipies, both handwritten and printed off a computer, for Meth.  The suspect is being held on charges of Meth manufacturing and distribution as well as other charges.
Information from Argus Leader and KELO-TV

In Louisiana - Two men, 39- and 37-years-old, were arrested on charges of running a home Meth lab.  Deputies also found a gun inside the house and several stolen vehicles.  The Meth lab was apparently being operated out of the cars’ trunks. In addition to the drug charges, one man was also booked with possession of stolen property and possession of a firearm while being a felon.  He was given a $165,500 bond and remained in prison.  The other man wasn’t given a bond, but he was released on his own recognizance because the prison was full.

In Texas - Sheriff's narcotics officers arrested four men who they said were dealing a huge amount of Meth. Undercover agents raided a home after a month-long investigation.  Once inside, they found four pounds of Meth, along with 30 high-powered weapons and more than $80,000 in cash.  Two men, including the homeowner, are facing federal drug charges.  The other two face state drug charges.

In Montana - A 46-year-old man accused of Meth trafficking pleaded not guilty to federal charges.  He was indicted on a conspiracy count and two counts of possession with intent to distribute; he faces a mandatory sentence ranging from 10-years to life in prison along with a $4-million fine if convicted.  He allegedly conspired with two other men, 71- and 53-years old, in a scheme to distribute Meth.  The other men have also entered not guilty pleas on the charges. 

In Illinois – A 37-year-old man who tried to escape police after his probation officer discovered Meth ingredients in plain sight and smelled ammonia received an eight-year prison sentence on the latest charges. He had run out a back door when the P.O. stopped to check on him last August. A resulting search turned up two jars of clear liquid Meth in his apartment along with manufacturing paraphernalia in his car and a manual outlining how to cook Meth.  After his capture, he pleaded guilty to the Meth charges.

In Mexico City, Mexico – A 44-year-old wealthy Chinese-born businessman, who became a naturalized Mexican citizen, is now an international fugitive accused of supplying Mexican drug cartels with tons of pseudoephedrine for Meth super labs. He went on the lam after Mexican agents raided his mansion in March, where they discovered $205-million in U.S. currency.  Authorities say he was living a lavish life outside of Mexico that was as mind-boggling as his alleged drug operation.  He collected luxury cars, kept mistresses in various countries and gambled as a high roller in Las Vegas. Mexican and U.S. authorities believe he is responsible for circumventing Mexican law limiting how much pseudoephedrine companies are allowed to import every year, smuggling as much as 60 tons in from China over two years in assorted packages with phony labels. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that at least 80 percent of the Meth on U.S. streets originates in Mexico.  The DEA believes the raw material needed for such labs is imported from China and India.  He was not at his mansion when it was raided, and authorities believe he was probably at a casino in Las Vegas.  But where he went when he left the hotel is unknown.  Authorities have contacted Interpol, the international police agency, for assistance, but aren't expecting a quick arrest.

In Ontario, Canada - A man who prosecutors said “wasn’t particularly good” at making crystal Meth got a break from a judge. The man, who has an extensive criminal record, was released from prison after a judge accepted lawyers’ arguments that time he had already served - 200 days - was enough punishment.  He had been charged with Meth production after police found a Meth lab on his property. 

In Oregon - Police arrested a 46-year-old woman when they allegedly found her - with her 6-year-old son - in a house littered with Meth and drug paraphernalia.  When officers served a search warrant at the home, they found the woman and her son in the master bedroom, along with two used Meth pipes and seven marijuana pipes within reach of the child.  They also found nearly two grams of crystal Meth in three separate plastic containers in the kitchen area, another Meth pipe in a box with individual fruit drinks on the kitchen floor, and two sets of scales and packaging material.  The woman was arrested on a host of Meth charges and endangering the welfare of a minor. 
 

Back to Latest Meth News - A Snapshot