Snapshot
Jan. 29-Feb 5, 2007

In Missouri - A robbery at a pharmaceutical company netted 100 pounds of a chemical compound that could yield millions of dollars’ worth of Meth.   Police are looking for a truck that was stolen in the robbery.  The thieves made off with a barrel containing 100 pounds of the compound that authorities said could be used to manufacture 400 pounds of Meth.  Surveillance cameras spotted two men in the truck, one wearing all black, the other all white.  The men entered the pharmaceutical company Sunday evening and handcuffed a security guard. While one of the men was away, the guard called police from a cell phone. One of the robbers heard the guard and took the phone away.  The suspects then used the truck to haul a large barrel containing the chemicals. When officers arrived, they could not find the guard.  It took a tactical team several hours of searching to find her handcuffed to a stairway railing. She was unharmed. 

In Missouri - Two people were arrested after undercover agents allegedly purchased 17-ounces of Meth and five ounces of cocaine from them.  The two are both from California, but one has been determined to be an illegal alien from Mexico.  They are charged with delivery of Meth and cocaine - both class B felonies.  The Department of Human Services took a young child into protective custody.

In Wisconsin - Police seized several thousand dollars worth of Meth and $6,000 from the three busts. At first police were just following a man who had escaped probation but his trail led them to make six more arrests.  When officers followed the escapee to an apartment, they found Meth and other related items.  They also found a three-year-old and a four-year-old who were placed in with social services. The investigation led them to a vehicle and another apartment, with more arrests at each.

In Nevada – Authorities are connecting a new crime trend to Meth addicted thieves.  Detectives say the addicts are stealing sprinkler heads, specifically ones that are made of brass.  In two cases, thieves stole more than 400 brass sprinklers in two neighborhoods - one of those communities is gated.  Drug detectives say thieves are taking the metals to a recycling plant to exchange them for drug money.  Generally speaking, they need four sprinkler heads just to make a dollar. But the costs to the public are much higher. For one homeowner's association, it cost more than a thousand dollars to replace its stolen sprinkler heads.

In California – A 26-year-old man faces federal charges after he allegedly tried to smuggle three pounds of Meth in his pants at San Jose International Airport.  Authorities say he was preparing to board a flight to Honolulu when he was chosen for secondary screening at a security checkpoint.  While patting him down, a Transportation Security Administration agent felt "a large bulk item" in the pocket of his cargo pants. Authorities say they eventually found six plastic bags of Meth and a pipe in his pockets.

In Tennessee - By day, he saved lives as a firefighter. By night, investigators say, he sold crystal Meth.  The former firefighter was arrested when police following up a tip traced it to the suspect.  Investigators arrested him after an undercover Meth buy led them to his home.  He had slightly over 31-grams of Meth on his person and in his home.  But it wasn't the first time he had been caught with drugs. In 1985, he was one of several firefighters charged with drug trafficking. The men wore paper bags over their heads to hide their identities. Six years later, in 1991, his arrest was purged from his record and the Civil Service Board reinstated him as a firefighter. This time, he continued working as a full-time fire fighter for two-and-a-half months after his arrest. The county was in the process of beginning an investigation when he resigned.  In the meantime, he was responding to emergency calls as an admitted Meth user.  No court date has been set yet; his case is currently in the grand jury unit.  Right now, he's drawing a pension worth more than two-thousand-dollars per month.

In New Mexico - An Illinois trucker is accused of leaving a path of destruction in Albuquerque in what authorities call a "Meth-induced rage."   The 28-year-old man is suspected of causing a half-million dollars in damage when he drove his truck through fences and rammed parked vehicles, homes and businesses.  The sheriff says the suspect told authorities he'd snorted Meth before going on the joyride.  He is jailed on 29 counts of criminal property damage. 

February 4, 2007
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