Snap 08-13-07

Methamphetamine Awareness and Prevention Project of South Dakota

METH Awareness And Prevention Project of South Dakota

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August 13, 2007

In Indiana – A 47-year-old man faces preliminary charges of manufacturing Meth after a strange confrontation with police. He had reportedly been acting “suspicious” for about two hours in a downtown area, and when officers approached, he turned the encounter into a “hostile confrontation" and was arrested. The arresting officers said they found crystal Meth and related paraphernalia in the suspect’s possession. They also saw Meth manufacturing items in the suspect’s vehicle. In addition to the manufacturing charge, he faces preliminary charges of disorderly conduct, resisting law enforcement and Meth possession.

In California - Police confiscated about 17-pounds of crystal Meth and arrested one man in connection with a Meth lab. Officers first found the lab when they responded to a call about suspicious activity. No one was around when they arrived, but they saw signs of a Meth lab in the open home. The suspect, 35-years old, arrived at the house while officers were dismantling the lab. He tried to run but was caught, and officers found evidence linking him to the house.

In Arizona – Border patrol agents conducting a routine checkpoint inspection discovered more than seven-pounds of Meth and seven bricks of marijuana in a car. A canine unite alerted officers to the presence of drugs in the trunk of the vehicle. The drugs were found in the trunk where the spare tire should be. The drugs, car and the two occupants were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

In California – According to officials from a county coroner’s office, a 47-year-old man found dead on the back porch of a home died from a massive Meth overdose. The toxicology report revealed that the victim’s blood had a Meth level of 32-milligrams per liter; the potentially toxic level for Meth is 0.2 to 0.5 milligrams per liter of blood. The coroner, calling the case a “massive, massive overdose” said it was “definitely the highest Methamphetamine level I’ve ever seen.”

In Texas – A two-week long investigation ended when officers busted a Meth distribution ring that stretched through three counties. Four people – one 26-year-old, two 19-year-olds and an 18-year-old, were arrested and charged with manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance.

In Oregon - Federal and local law enforcement raided five homes, wrapping up a 5-monthlong sting that yielded in more than a dozen arrests. Dubbed “Operation End Game,” the investigation targeted mid-level Meth dealers. So far, a total of 16 people, five women and 11 men, have been arrested. The suspects range in age from 19-years-old up to 63-years-old. The various charges include conspiracy to deliver Meth, possession, frequenting a drug house and immigration violations.

In Indiana - Police arrested two men and are looking for two more suspects after a farmer stumbled onto a Meth lab in a cornfield. Officers set up surveillance near the lab hidden in the trampled corn, saw two sport utility vehicles pull in and waited for the SUVs to leave – a wait of about three hours. The waiting officers turned on their lights when the vehicles were leaving; one driver pulled over and the other tried to escape. The one that attempted to flee crashed into a large rock at a corner and the two occupants ran. Two men in the other vehicle, 34- and 30-years old, were arrested. Officers found $2,500 worth of freshly-made Meth in that SUV, along with precursors to make more, paraphernalia and marijuana. In the crashed SUV, investigators found pill dough – a byproduct of Meth manufacturing – and anhydrous ammonia and other Meth lab components. The suspects face numerous charges ranging from Meth manufacturing to possession of precursors and Meth to trespassing and mischief.

In Michigan - A 27-year-old man was sentenced to three to 20-years in prison for each count of manufacturing Meth and operating a laboratory, plus a concurrent 23-months to 10-years for possession of Meth. He received credit for 93 days served. He was arrested after sheriff's deputies and Department of Human Services employees visited his home to investigate a tip. They found Meth lab components and a shotgun in the bedroom. He was charged with Meth manufacturing in his home, where he lived with his wife and a child. The judge told the defendant that as a result of his cooperation and no prior record, he may be qualified for special incarceration to include boot camp for 90 days and may be let out on parole if he completes the requirements.

In Virginia – Officers busted an active Meth lab and arrested four people when they followed up a tip about suspicious activity at a barn. Police set up surveillance and raided the barn during a cook. Deputies caught two suspects inside the barn and a third suspect trying to leave through a side door. They used thermal imagery to track down the fourth suspect who had escaped. The four men, ages 32-, 27-, 26- and 19-years old, face multiple charges including Meth manufacturing, conspiracy and destruction of property.

In Indiana - A Meth dealer was sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison. the 33-year-old man received the sentence after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute Meth and one count of distribution of Meth. He was considered a primary Meth distributor for an organization that distributed approximately 10-pounds of Meth per month.

In Illinois - Two men who ran a Meth ring received long federal prison sentences. A 45-year-old was sentenced to 19 years and five months behind bars, while his 35-year-old co-defendant was sentenced to 21 years. They were accused of a Meth manufacturing and trafficking conspiracy that stretched through numerous Illinois counties plus Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri and Kentucky.