Snap 06-25-07

Methamphetamine Awareness and Prevention Project of South Dakota

METH Awareness And Prevention Project of South Dakota

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June 25, 2007

In North Carolina – Sheriff’s deputies who went to a motel looking for two people wanted on theft charges found a mobile Meth lab parked outside the business. The 48-year-old man and 30-year-old woman now face additional charges of Meth manufacturing and possession of precursor chemicals.

In Indiana – A 37-year-old man received a prison sentence of 11 years and three months for his role in a conspiracy to distribute Meth. Prosecutors accused him of dealing seven pounds of Meth every six weeks. He pled guilty to the charges. He will be subject to deportation after his release from prison.

In Virginia - A woman arrested during a raid on a drug ring was sentenced to almost five years in prison. The defendant was picked up when officers raided two homes and seized more than 7 pounds of Meth. She pleaded guilty to a reduced charged of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of Meth. Co-defendants in the case, three men, have either pleaded guilty to charges or have been found guilty in jury trials. Two are appealing their trials. Two of them are also illegal immigrants.

In Washington – Detectives arrested two men, 31- and 26-years-old, after a search of a home turned up Meth and a .12-gauge shotgun. Officers were called to the trailer home after the girlfriend of one of the suspects, and her mother, went into the home, saw Meth and called authorities. The search turned up several bags of Meth and the shotgun hidden under a bed. The two men face multiple Meth-related charges and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has placed holds on both of them.

In California - A couple whose 4-year-old son was rescued by police from their burning apartment pleaded not guilty to child abuse and drug charges. The 55-year-old man and 33-year-old woman were under the influence of Meth when the fire was reported. They face up to seven years in state prison if convicted of felony child abuse and another six months for the drug charge.

In Alabama – A 21-year-old man was arrested on charges of attempting to sell fake Meth. Deputies who pulled over a vehicle because the windshield was obstructed saw a syringe and baggies with a clear, granular substance inside them. The suspect, who was a passenger in the vehicle, admitted the items were his. It turned out he was trying to sell rock salt as Meth.

In Arkansas - When a woman had trouble waking her 33-year-year-old son who was sleeping on her couch, she called sheriff's deputies for help, and told them she'd found what appeared to be a pipe used for smoking drugs. The deputies were able to rouse the man, who then handed over a glass pipe and a small amount of alleged Meth. He was arrested for possessing both Meth and drug paraphernalia.

In Missouri - A man serving 15 years in prison for making Meth lost an appeal in his case. He was sentenced as a prior and persistent drug offender after a jury found him guilty of felony Meth manufacturing. His appeal, brought by his public defender, claimed that the prosecutor in the trial made unfair, unsupported statements. The appellate judges decided the prosecutor’s statement had no decisive effect on the jury considering the overwhelming evidence of the defendant’s guilt.

In Florida - Police arrested two people after discovering a Meth lab in a home. They are charged with Meth trafficking and manufacturing within 100 feet of a church; they also face child abuse charges because children live at the home. In a second case, officers also arrested a 31-year-old woman on charges of Meth possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.