METH PLAGUE: LAW ENFORCEMENT SEES NO END TO WAR ON METH

"Meth Is Going to Be a Big Problem for Some Time to Come," Concedes
Yankton Police Chief Duane Heeney.

Despite increased public awareness of its devastating consequences
and law enforcement efforts to combat the problem, methamphetamine
use continues to plague much of the Midwest.

And the progression of its long trail of desperation -- littered with
broken bodies and broken homes -- shows few signs of slowing down.

South Dakota, and the Yankton area in particular, has not been spared.

According to the Yankton Police Department, it had 38 meth-related
arrests in 2006 -- a number that Det. Neal Anderson says is about average.

"People say OYankton-Crankton.' I get so sick of hearing that,
because it's really a disservice to the city," Heeney said. "I would
say meth is probably as big in Yankton as anywhere else."

According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration,
methamphetamine use is the primary concern of law enforcement in
Nebraska and South Dakota, even as marijuana remains the most
prevalent illicit drug in both states.

Because the meth is so addictive, Yankton County Sheriff Dave Hunhoff
points out, it is often related to other crimes.

"People are doing (the crimes) because they're in debt and need the
money for meth," he said.

Both Nebraska and South Dakota have among the highest meth use rates
in the nation. The 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health
reports that 1.24 percent of Nebraskans aged 12 and older have used
meth in the last year, while the number of South Dakotans is 1.12
percent. The states rank fifth and 12th in the U.S., respectively.

"The drug is just tearing families up," Heeney said. "There are
mental health issues. They just can't get off of it. They go into the
state penitentiary, then get back out again and start all over. It's
a vicious cycle that we can't break."

Anderson, who specializes in drug enforcement for the city, said he
has come into contact with meth users aged anywhere from 12 to 73 years old.

He said the worst case of meth addiction he's ever seen was a couple
that was pulled over by another officer.

"The male pulled a gun and put it to the officer's head out of
nowhere," Anderson said. "For who knows what reason, he didn't pull
the trigger but took off running. The lady was so messed up -- her
teeth were gone, she reeked and her whole body from head to toe was
covered in Ocrank bugs.'"

Meth can cause users to feel there is something crawling on or under
their skin. These "crank bugs" cause users to excessively scratch or
pick at their skin and often result in sores.

City and county law enforcement say it's been some time since they
have uncovered a large quantity of meth or found an active meth lab.

While the local supply of meth comes from a variety of sources, local
officials say Sioux City, Iowa, is probably the biggest source of the drug.

"Sioux Falls is kind of a hub, but they get a lot of it from Sioux
City," Anderson said.

City and county law enforcement work closely with the state's
Division of Criminal Investigation to combat drug use locally.

"We've had great success over the years with undercover
investigations," Hunhoff said. "I'd like to see more of that here,
but it is expensive and extremely time-consuming."

Efforts in Midwestern states to restrict the availability of meth
ingredients have been successful at curbing production of the drug,
according to Hunhoff. However, that hasn't affected the ability of
dealers to ship it in from elsewhere.

Hunhoff said law enforcement are doing all they're allowed to do in
order to combat drugs overall, but there's a lot more they could be doing.

"They say there's a OWar on Drugs,' but that's laughable," he said.
"If there was a war, then all reasonable efforts would be made to
combat it. But there's so much of a movement toward secrecy and
confidentiality about drugs that it hurts law enforcement."

For example, Hunhoff said people often go to hospitals and other
treatment facilities with illicit drug-related illnesses, but law
enforcement is not notified.

"If someone goes in with a knife and gunshot wound, (hospitals) have
to notify us. If they go in and either nearly die or die from drug
use . they're not allowed to tell us," he said. "The same goes for
treatment, and I realize that's a sensitive issue. We want them to go
to treatment, but there is information that could be gathered there
that could be tremendously important to us in combating drugs.

"We're putting up a hell of a fight with what we have to work with, I
think," Hunhoff added. "It's not going to change until the public demands it."

Even with all the effort law enforcement puts into drug enforcement,
local officials say they depend on the assistance of the public to be
successful in that work.

"Our officers are doing the best they can to fight this battle. We
live in this community. These guys are dedicated to this community,"
Heeney said. "But we need the information the general public sees,
because we don't live in their neighborhood. They see (drug-related
activity), and they need to call us."

"People are pretty good about calling in information, and they need
to keep doing it," Hunhoff added.