METH LABS COULD DOUBLE IN MINNESOTA

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A state investigator estimated the number of
methamphetamine labs seized in Minnesota could double each year for
the next few years, bringing with them thousands of pounds of toxic
waste, paranoid addicts and dangerous criminals.

"In terms of raw numbers of labs, it will get worse before it gets
better,'' said Tim O'Malley, special investigation supervisor at the
Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Narcotics officers in Minnesota seized about 192 pounds of meth last
year, and arrested 1,206 people on meth-related charges, compared to
944 arrests in 1999. In 1997, police seized 21 labs. In 1999, there
were 110. Last year, 144.

O'Malley predicted 350 labs will be seized in Minnesota this year.

He attributed the increased activity in Minnesota to Iowa law
enforcement's effort to clamp down. Wisconsin and Michigan also are
seeing increases in meth seizures, he said.

Meth is a powerful and addictive stimulant that affects the central
nervous system. The chemicals used to create it produce toxic fumes
and have caused fires and explosions.

Police said the lure for meth manufacturers is simple. It costs only
$150 to $200 to make a batch that sells for $3,000 to $4,000 -- 1 to
2 ounces of meth per batch, 280 hits to the ounce, a high of four
hours per hit.

Authorities describe each meth lab as a miniature toxic waste dump.
Cooking a batch of homemade meth produces about 6 pounds of toxic
waste that is often dumped in back yards, ditches, fire pits and
septic systems.

The drug is cooked from common ingredients, including ether, drain
cleaner, acetone, cold pills with ephedrine, lye and anhydrous
ammonia -- an unstable fertilizer that can burn skin or explode.

"This is not just a law enforcement problem. It's a huge public
safety problem,'' O'Malley said. "To look at it from strictly a law
enforcement problem is a mistake.''