LAW ENFORCEMENT BATTLES NO. 1 DRUG OF CHOICE

Methamphetamine has overtaken cocaine and marijuana as the number one drug
of choice in the six counties and one Indian reservation that compose the
Tri-Agency Drug Task Force's area of responsibility.

"It's easier to get meth than any other drug," said Shawn Van Vleet, a full
time agent with the Task Force who works out of Havre. "Havre has a
tremendous supply of methamphetamine compared to a lot of other towns."

Van Vleet said that other towns of similar population probably also have
problems with methamphetamine, "but the state in general has a problem with
methamphetamine."

Statistics provided by the Montana Board of Crime Control indicate that
arrests state wide for all other illegal drugs except hallucinogens have
declined between 1995 - 1999, while arrests for methamphetamine increased
from 178 in 1995 to 305 in 1999. Of the 305 arrests in 1999, 209 were men
and 96 were women.

The statistics also show that during the 1999/2000 recording period, a
total of 72.97 pounds of the drug was confiscated by Montana's drug task
forces.

Montana is currently disposing of 50-60 meth labs a year, said Al Brockway,
head of the Montana Board of Crime Control. "It takes 18-20 hours to
dismantle a lab."

It's a phenomena that has developed only within the last two or three years
and owes much of its vehemence to what Hill County Sheriff Tim Solomon
describes as a natural progression that begins in Mexico and moves up the
west coast to Washington and then across the Hi-Line by Highway 2 and the
BNSF Railroad into Montana.

"That's the route they have all taken," Solomon said, while singling out
Yakima, Wash., as the community most responsible for drug importation into
the Havre area. "That's our primary source."

The Task Force operates in the counties of Liberty, Hill, Blaine, Phillips,
Chouteau, Judith Basin, and on Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and it has
not only seen an increase in the possession and use of methamphetamine, it
has also seen an increase in its manufacture.

One of the reasons for the increase in manufacturing, Van Vleet said, is
the high price of imported methamphetamine and imported quantities are
limited and go fast. He also suggests that local users and distributors are
afraid of some of the outsiders dealing the drug and feel they might be
dangerous.

Street meth will sell for $100 a gram and there are 28 grams in an ounce.

"Which if you have a gram a day habit, making an ounce will last you about
a month," said Mark Stolen, assistant chief of police for the Havre Police
Department.

Local users believe they can make it themselves cheaper, especially if they
use two or three grams a day.

"And you can make that with a pretty small amount of material or
precursors," Van Vleet said.

Van Vleet said most of the labs the Task Force is finding in and around
Havre are small and capable of producing only grams and ounces. None of the
larger operations capable of producing meth by the pound have so far been
discovered.

Van Vleet suggests that it's most common in the Havre area for producers to
make enough of the drug to provide for their own needs while selling some
of the drug to friends. This allows them to earn enough money to pay for
the chemicals they already used and buy more for the next batch.

"So they're not really losing money," Van Vleet said.

At least that's the plan.

"You don't see too many Porsches running around Havre," he said.

Van Vleet said most producers are also users and the more they produce, the
more they will consume.

As a money making proposition the small time cooker is not likely to strike
it rich.

"When you start using the product yourself, usually you're behind in money
because you owe somebody," Stolen said.

The manufacture of methamphetamine requires producers obtain quantities of
chemicals that are easily available in Havre. But purchasing such chemicals
could raise a retailer's eyebrow.

"People know what's going on in this town with methamphetamine," Van Vleet
said. "When people come in asking for certain items that can only be used
for certain things, they know what's going on."

Van Vleet, Stolen, and Solomon all admit they have worked to help educate
retailers in the Havre area about what to look for and to keep a sharp eye
out for large purchases of certain chemicals or the same person making
several purchases of the same chemical in a short period of time.

Drug dealers, of course, are aware of the difficulties associated with
acquiring chemicals and will only rarely fall into the trap of buying large
quantities or buying frequently from the same retailer. It is also common
to have friends purchase small amounts at different retailers in order to
avoid suspicion.

But large quantities of chemicals are not necessary to produce grams or
even ounces of meth.

"You can put a meth lab into a small box," Van Vleet said. "You don't need
more than a couple of jars, some tubing, a filter or two, a couple of
funnels and you've got a lab."

"But even small labs can still be dangerous," Stolen added, noting that
only two years ago the Montana Legislature passed a precursor law making it
illegal to possess the chemicals to make meth.

"So even if they're not successful making it," Stolen said, "it's still
illegal to try."

And just as dangerous because the chemicals used are still highly flammable
and toxic.

Van Vleet said that as far as methamphetamine production in this part of
Montana goes, "we're just touching the surface."

He emphasizes that anybody using or cooking methamphetamine is a danger to
law enforcement and everybody else, adding that they are more prone to
violence and generally extremely paranoid.

Paranoia is just one of the side effects of meth use.

Uniformed officers conducting routine traffic stops could find themselves
facing a life or death situation if the driver happened to be high on meth
at the time, Van Vleet said.

Solomon said prisoners brought to the Hill County Detention Center will be
evaluated for intoxication on arriving and if necessary isolated.

"A lot of that is for their own protection because they may end up hurting
themselves," he said.

Prisoners on methamphetamine can become suicidal when coming down from a
methamphetamine high, "especially when they find themselves in jail,"
Solomon said.

Isolation and the possible need for medical attention all add to the cost
of law enforcement. But tight tax dollars means there is little chance law
enforcement will see more money to fight the war on drugs any time soon.

The Tri-Agency Drug Task Force receives between $200,000 and $250,000
annually to fight the war along the Hi-Line and this small force, according
to Stolen, represents the biggest, most important thing law enforcement in
this area can do to fight narcotics pro-actively.

Working mostly undercover, the Task Force draws from all law enforcement
agencies within their jurisdiction. This includes personnel who for various
periods of time may work an investigation in plain clothes in an area
outside their normal jurisdiction.

All drug related cases are referred to the Task Force and task force
involvement is also valuable in aiding investigations that transcend the
jurisdictional boundary lines of Indian reservations.