GOAL OF BELLEVUE METH SUMMIT IS COOPERATION

It used to be that people wanting to cook methamphetamine had to go deep
into the woods where no one would smell the caustic chemicals.

But now that there are methods to mask the smell, cookers are moving into
urban areas faster than police can keep up with them.

Coordinated effort

In an effort to stem the encroachment, the King County Sheriff's Office is
holding a methamphetamine summit in Bellevue on Monday and Tuesday with the
goal of coordinating many agencies into one concentrated effort.

"(Meth is) always treated as a local problem, but these people are so
mobile. It's crazy to approach it on a local level," sheriff's office
spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart said. "This is probably the first (summit)
ever that's so wide-ranging and included so many high-level local and
federal people."

More than 350 people from across the United States have registered to attend.

In addition to the summit, the Public Health -- Seattle and King County
office launched a meth lab clean-up Web site with information about the
health risks meth labs present to communities and status reports on county
meth lab clean-ups.

King County is the second-hottest spot in the state for meth behind Pierce
County, which might explain why South County has a higher prevalence of the
drug than the Eastside, Urquhart said.

But, he added, it's migrating. King County deputies recovered 26 percent
more methamphetamine in 2000 than in 1999, confiscating 11,049 grams of the
off-white, crystalline rocks, according to sheriff's office drug
enforcement unit statistics.

"It has become the drug of choice. It has displaced cocaine as it's cheaper
and more addictive," Urquhart said.

Though making meth is relatively simple -- despite the potential for
explosions -- the people cooking it generally lack the scientific expertise
to do it safely.

The chemicals are easy enough to procure, but meth manufacturers rarely
dispose of them correctly. Environmental contamination is severe and
clean-up is not cheap.

With the rise in meth production, deputies are seeing an increase in crimes
related to meth use, especially identity theft and mail theft.

Meth lab cleanup Web site

Because meth labs are sprouting in urban neighborhoods, the health
department started the meth lab cleanup Web site to arm community members
with information. Check www.metrokc.gov/ health/scripts/methlab.cfm. The
Web pages include information about the health risks associated with meth
labs, how Public Health cleans up contaminated sites and the status of meth
lab clean-ups in the county.

For more information about the summit, visit the King County Sheriff's
Office Web site at www.metrokc.gov/sheriff.