METH PROBE YIELDS 14 INDICTMENTS

A White County business owner who has allegedly sold large quantities of
over-the-counter pills to meth drug dealers was expected to be arrested by
federal agents today. That person and 13 others in Putnam, White, and other
Upper Cumberland counties were named on a list carried by federal Drug
Enforcement Administration agents, Putnam deputies, and numerous other law
officers as they left the Putnam County Justice Center early this morning
to round up suspects for booking.

The agents and deputies went out to serve federal sealed indictments on the
14 as part of an on-going investigation in this area which is called
"Operation Stop Gap," an effort to stem the illegal meth trade here.

The investigation has been underway since August of 2000, according to
Putnam Sheriff Jerry Abston and DEA Resident Agent Harry Sommers.

"We are focusing not only on the meth 'cookers' now, but on those who
provide them with the precursor chemicals and the substances and equipment
they use to make meth," said DEA Agent Sommers.

Meth is a synthetic drug which can be cooked up in kitchen "labs" out of
fairly common ingredients, such as ammonia, iodine, and substances found in
over-the-counter allergy pills.

As the illegal meth problem has mushroomed in the Upper Cumberland, some
stores have hiked the prices of such ingredients way up, earning a large
profit and, in some cases, even providing meth cookers with huge quantities
of the ingredients, the DEA agent and Sheriff Abston said this morning.

"There are those who have been selling large quantities of these pills,
some out the back door, and we have been investigating these and others, as
well those who are making meth and selling it," Agent Sommers said.

He said that last week federal search warrants were served on a business in
White County and two residences, one in White County and one in Nashville,
in connection with the arrests being made in this area today.

Agent Sommers said the investigation has focused in part on those merchants
who sell the common (and legal) ingredients used in meth manufacturing,
especially those selling in large quantities and who "have a knowledge and
understanding" of what it is they're selling and "what it's going to be
used for."

Reportedly, some stores have been selling bottles of allergy pills which
cost about $2 wholesale for as much as $14 a bottle, knowing that meth
manufacturers use the pills to make the illegal drug.

"It takes a long and sometimes difficult investigation to get the proof we
need to make a case of that type, as we have to work within the rules, but
sometimes the day comes when we can do that, and today is that day," Agent
Sommers said.

The 14 being sought today have been indicted on various charges of
manufacturing, possession, and distribution of meth and the chemicals used
to make it.

With the widening of the usual meth investigations to include those who
have been selling the ingredients and with the filing of federal charges
instead of state charges, the law enforcers hope to send a message, they said.

"Every charge we are making today, if there is a conviction, will result in
at least a 10-year prison sentence," said DEA Agent Joel Reece.

In the federal system, that means serving at least 85 percent of the sentence.

And most of those on the list to be arrested today "are not just first
timers," a factor which could increase their punishment upon conviction,
Reece said.

Having the weight of the federal government in the investigation and the
prosecution means a lot to the local law enforcers, who have long been
frustrated by the inadequacy of state laws on meth.

"We have asked and asked that our state laws be revamped to punish this
crime more, but nothing has been done due to the state's budget situation,"
Sheriff Abston said.

He said state lawmakers hesitate to pass new laws on the subject because
more prosecution and incarceration translate to increased costs.

Likewise, Sparta Police Chief Jeff Guth said, "In the state courts, our
judges' hands are tied on this meth problem. We've really looked forward to
federal intervention." The state laws simply are inadequate to handle the
growing problem, he said.

And the costs of cleaning up the hazardous materials involved in meth labs
are extremely high, another factor which hampers local investigation and
prosecution of the offense.

"The DEA spends a quarter of a million dollars per week cleaning up these
labs," Agent Sommers said.

The chemicals and other substances used to make meth are very dangerous.
They can explode, and even the fumes have the power to sicken or kill human
beings.

The drug which is made in the process can be smoked, snorted, injected, or
taken by mouth. It is highly addictive and does irreversible damage to the
brain in some cases. Users become hyperactive, paranoid, and sometimes violent.

"It's a drug that is relatively cheap and easy to make, and users like it,"
Agent Sommers said. "Once they're on it, they seem unable to get off. They
don't seem to recover."

Most of those who "cook" meth are users who are feeding a habit, but they
are also making money, he said. And those who are supplying the ingredients
are making money.

The Nashville office of the DEA initiated Operation Stop Gap in this area
last year to target those who cook meth and distribute it and those who
supply the "precursor chemicals" and equipment used in the process, Sommers
said.

The undercover investigation has resulted in the seizure of 178 clandestine
meth labs and 216 arrests, mainly in the Cumberland Plateau area. Twenty
two of the arrests involved federal charges, as will the 14 arrests
expected to be completed today.

Operation Stop Gap initially focused on the Upper Cumberland because of the
rapid spread of illegal meth operations in this area, Agent Sommers said.

And the law enforcement agencies involved in today's raid reflects that:
the Putnam, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Overton, Smith, and White County
Sheriffs offices, and the Sparta Police Dept.

Among those gathered at the Putnam jail this morning for the raid were
Sheriff Abston, Cumberland Sheriff Butch Burgess, Sparta Police Chief Jeff
Guth, as well as DEA Agents Sommers and Joel Reece, FBI Agents Bart Brown,
Daryl Martin, and Scott Swallows, and several other federal officers, 13th
District Drug Task Force agents, TBI agents, and federal Alcohol, Tobacco
and Firearms agents.

"We also want to make it clear that this is an on-going investigation,"
Sheriff Abston said this morning. "There will be more arrests."

Agent Sommers confirmed the DEA's commitment to continue the investigation
in this area.

"We're not through yet," he said. "Today is just the first round. We will
maintain a presence in the Cumberland Plateau."

Agent Sommers and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bob Watson cautioned that the
charges brought today are just that: charges.

"Charges brought against a person through an indictment or complaint are
accusations only," Sommers said. "All defendants are presumed innocent of
the charges against them until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."