STRAWBERRY METH SEIZED IN SEARCH

A new kind of methamphetamine that has a strawberry flavor and bright
pink coloring was seized for the first time in Carson City during a
search of a Como Street apartment on Saturday, an official said.

"(We are) concerned that this new type of meth will be more
attractive to a younger crowd and may surface in schools," said Sgt.
Darrin Sloan, commander of the Carson City Sheriff's Department's
Special Enforcement Team. "Parents and teachers, please be aware of
this new kind of drug that is making its way into our culture."

About $200 worth of a new
form of crystal meth called "strawberry quick." According to Carson
City Sheriff's Sgt. Darrin Sloan the designer meth is being
manufactured in Sacramento and dealers are targeting a younger crowd
with this colorful and flavorful drug.

Sloan said SET officers served
a search warrant on the home of Cesar" Thumper" Munoz, 29, an alleged
member of the Lima Street gang, after getting information that Munoz
was selling the flavored methamphetamine known in the Sacramento area
and now Carson City as "strawberry quick."

Flavored methamphetamine is the newest metamorphosis of the dangerous
street drug made from ephedrine and toxic chemical such as lye and
battery acid. It appears that the flavor and color were added to the
meth during the cooking process, instead of afterward, which would
mean the drug does not have any less potency than its common counterpart.

Methamphetamine can be ingested by snorting, smoking, or injecting.

Sloan said the "strawberry quick" methamphetamine is popular among
new users who snort it because the flavoring can cut down on the
taste. He said teenagers, who have been taught meth is bad, may see
this flavored version as less harmful.

"This is designed for the younger crowd. If (dealers) can get younger
people using it, they can get long-time buyers," he said.

"This stuff is new to us," Sloan said.

Munoz allegedly sold 2 grams of "strawberry quick," in crystal form,
to a SET informant. Sloan said no other drugs were found during a
search of Munoz's apartment. He was charged with sales, delivery and
transport of a controlled substance, and remained in custody Sunday
on a $20,000 bail.

SET will continue to work undercover in an attempt to stem the sale
and use of methamphetamine in Carson City, Sloan said. Since Jan. 1,
117.3 grams of methamphetamine and 28.3 grams of marijuana have been
seized, and more than a dozen people have been arrested in similar
SET operations.

Anyone with information on "strawberry quick" or methamphetamine
sales or use is asked to call the Meth Hotline at 887-2020, ext.
METH; or Sloan at 887-2020, ext. 3174.