SPEED' LABS POSE SPECIAL CHALLENGE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT

The wheels of justice turn slowly, and methamphetamine users, dealers and
producers are taking advantage of the pace, authorities say.

The illegal stimulant, also known as "speed," has gained a stronghold in
the Big Country and across the nation with the revival of a production
method used by the German army in World War II. The courts and law
enforcement have struggled to keep pace with the rapidly increasing numbers
of meth-related crimes.

Sentences handed to offenders have run the gamut from probation to prison
time. But the pull of methamphetamine is so strong — both physiologically
and financially — that authorities say addicts and manufacturers keep
returning to the drug even after they've been dragged through the justice
system.

In addition, the problem's relative newness poses a challenge.

Law enforcement officers say they're still waiting for legislation to aid
their crusade against the drug. Meanwhile, many meth-related offenders
await a court date, frequently returning to their old habits during the
time they are free on bail.

"It just takes some time," said Sgt. Roger Berry of the Abilene Police
Department's narcotics division. "We're guaranteed a right to a speedy
trial, but most crooks don't want a speedy trial."

Nevertheless, authorities continue to wage their war on methamphetamine's
minions. They come armed with grim determination and a justice system that
works slowly but surely.

The crime

Most of the increase in meth production, usually done in what law
enforcement calls "Nazi labs," has occurred over the past year and a half.

Prior to the resurgence of the Nazi labs, methamphetamine was cooked on a
stove or over an open flame, endangering the cooks and yielding a foul odor
that forced labs into backwoods settings. The Nazi labs rely more upon
chemical reactions to make the drug, allowing manufacturers to
clandestinely set up labs in hotel rooms, homes and even vehicles.

The recipes, which Adolph Hitler's subordinates used to make meth that
enhanced the endurance of his fighting forces, are spread through the Internet.

Last year, the number of meth labs busted by the APD nearly tripled. In
1999, Abilene police seized six labs. That number jumped to 17 last year.
Frequently, Berry said, the methamphetamine cooks police catch have been
arrested three or four times already.

"We bust them for cooking, they go to jail, they bond out and they go back
to cooking," he said. "It's an old story."

The offenders return to making the drug because it gives them a quick
source of revenue, said Lt. Earl Donnell of the narcotics division in the
Taylor County Sheriff's Office. That fast buck pays for their attorney's
fees or helps them make a living.

Meth brings a tidy sum. While its street value changes with supply and
demand, an ounce sells for roughly $1,000 to $1,200, Donnell said. An
eighth of an ounce can cost $150 to $200, and one-sixteenth of an ounce
about $100.

In the last two years, the sheriff's office has seen a 50-percent increase
in meth lab arrests. The number of thefts of anhydrous ammonia — a
fertilizer that is one of the ingredients in meth — from farmers and
agricultural suppliers has risen even higher. The agency frequently hears
of two to four thefts of the material per week.

Cold medication also goes into the drug's preparation. Retailers have tried
to curtail its illicit use by putting it behind the counter and limiting
the amount a customer can buy.

Methamphetamine cooks work around the restrictions by going to several
different locations to buy their supplies or turning to the black market in
Dallas, officials said.

The punishment

Of all the ingredients that go into making meth, only possession of
anhydrous ammonia, when kept in an unauthorized container, has a
punishment. The crime is a state jail felony, punishable by up to two years
in jail and a $10,000 fine.

That often hinders law enforcement authorities who bust a meth lab but do
not find any final product. With only some common household materials —
such as lithium batteries and starter fluid — as evidence, prosecuting the
case can be difficult.

Until the state Legislature incorporates the other ingredients into the
Texas Health and Safety Code, thereby attaching criminal charges to them,
many meth cooks will continue to produce their drug without fear of jail
sentences, Donnell said.

Taylor County District Attorney James Eidson's office does not keep
statistics on the disposition of methamphetamine cases. Sentences range
from probation to rehabilitation at a substance abuse facility to prison
time. One recent case yielded a 35-year sentence.

Eidson said the justice system doesn't favor one type of punishment over
another because all cases are evaluated on an individual basis. Prosecutors
consider the offenders' criminal history, their level of involvement with
the drug and whether they want treatment.

He said the solution to curbing meth production lies in balancing
rehabilitation and punishment.

"If we focus only on punishment, then I think the system passes up the
opportunity to rehabilitate many of those who could be rehabilitated,"
Eidson said. "On the other hand, if we focus only on rehabilitation, we
facilitate a system that doesn't punish and doesn't provide the incentive
to rehabilitate."

Elsewhere in the Big Country

The rest of the Big Country is no different when it comes to the crimes and
punishment of methamphetamine users, dealers and manufacturers.

Sixty percent of the West Texas Interlocal Crime Task Force's narcotics
investigations deal with the drug, Commander Billy Schat said. The agency
covers 15 counties and has seized more than 45 Nazi meth labs in the last
year and a half.

Volunteer firefighters in Albany responded to an early morning house fire
and discovered one of those labs Feb. 11. Authorities found 6 grams of the
drug, 100 syringes, hundreds of powdered cold tablets, anhydrous ammonia
and starter fluid.

Authorities say Tony Ray Fade, 45, was making meth when fumes ignited. Fade
was charged with manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance, a
first-degree felony punishable by up to life in prison.

Britt Thurman, the district attorney in Jones and Shackelford counties,
says roughly 20 percent of the cases he handles are meth-related.

Offenders who say they're agreeable to rehabilitation are sent to substance
abuse facilities. Thurman said he tries to keep those who don't care to be
rehabilitated off the streets to protect the public.

He estimates up to 75 percent of the crimes in his jurisdiction are
drug-related.

"Used to be, you just had a regular burglary just to steal and get money,"
he said. "Now, you've got burglars breaking in to sell stuff for their drug
habit."

In Brown County, District Attorney Sky Sudderth said while cocaine and
marijuana seem to be more predominant than methamphetamine in his county,
he applies the same ultimatum to meth dealers: Anybody indicted for
delivery of the drug will not be offered a plea bargain. Instead, they will
have three choices: accepting the maximum punishment, taking their chances
with a judge who will assess punishment or presenting the case to a jury.

"I do this because illegal drugs are responsible for most of the problems
facing our society today," Sudderth said. "And specifically, I believe
illegal drugs are at the root of many other crimes occurring in Brown County.