AUTHORITIES: METH LABS SPROUTING UP ACROSS STATE, ESPECIALLY RURAL NORTH
TEXAS COUNTIES

FORT WORTH, Texas -- The number of "Nazi" methamphetamine labs dotting
Texas is burgeoning thanks to the availability of recipes found on the
Internet, growing demand and cheap materials, authorities said.

Meth labs seized in Texas climbed from 33 in 1997 to 181 in 1999, according
to the Drug Enforcement Agency. Through October, 180 labs have been seized
this year.

But in neighboring states, the problem is worse. Last year, seizures of
meth labs totaled 396 in Oklahoma, 334 in Arkansas and 438 in Missouri,
according to DEA figures. Authorities say Texans can glimpse a full-blown
problem that could be developing here.

The trend "is just starting to hit Texas," DEA special agent Guy
Hargreaves, who is based in Washington, D.C., told the Fort Worth
Star-Telegram in Sunday's editions.

Drug investigators say the labs are beginning to appear in the southern
part of Texas, recently turning up in the Houston area for the first time.

Methamphetamine is a synthetic stimulant that can be smoked, snorted,
injected or taken in pill form.

The "Nazi method" of cooking meth, also known as speed, originated with
German scientists in the late 1930s who sought a stimulant that soldiers
could cook easily in the field. It is now used by a cottage industry of
small-time manufacturers who concoct the drug from easily acquired chemicals.

Authorities say most of the Texas labs are cropping up in rural areas,
because of their remoteness and a ready supply of anhydrous ammonia
fertilizer, a key ingredient.

Counties north of Dallas and Fort Worth were among the first to report meth
labs.

"The methamphetamine problem is worse than we've ever seen," said Kirk
Beauchamp, commander of the North Central Texas Narcotics Task Force, which
covers Wise, Denton and Collin counties.

Collin County reported it has had three fires this year triggered by the
volatile mix of chemicals used in the labs, Collin County Fire Marshal
Steve Dissenbaugh said.

The labs have also taken a toll on North Texas' environment.

Federal officials have called the labs "mini toxic waste sites." The DEA
estimates that every pound of methamphetamine makes 5 pounds of toxic waste.

On the Net:

Drug Enforcement Agency: http://www.dea.gov

North Central Texas Narcotics Task Force:
http://sherrif.co.denton.tx.us/narc--task--force/