CANADIANS FILL GAP IN METH PRODUCTION

SMUGGLING CONCERNS: Schumer Says Success Against NNY Labs Hurt By
Growth Across Border

WASHINGTON - Production of methamphetamine may be down in Northern
New York, but it is climbing in Canada, and dealers may be smuggling
more of the illicit drug into the north country, U.S. Sen. Charles E.
Schumer said Wednesday.

Mr. Schumer, D-N.Y., said methamphetamine smuggling threatens to
undercut law enforcement agencies' success in recent years against
drug labs in rural sections of upstate New York, primarily the north
country and the Southern Tier. He said his office has asked the
Canadian government, as well as the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration, to boost enforcement.

Jefferson County has reported 30 lab seizures and other production
enforcement actions since 1999, the second highest total in the
state, behind Tioga County. But seizures have dropped off
dramatically since peaking in 2004.

The DEA says Canadian production is helping to fill the gap, Mr.
Schumer said.

"The Canadians know it's a problem, but they don't know what to do
about it," Mr. Schumer said in a conference call with New York
reporters. Much of that country's production is destined for other
countries, he said.

Methamphetamine use is primarily a suburban and rural problem, Mr.
Schumer said. While the New York City area appears to receive the
drug mostly from Mexico and California, upstate's supply has been
largely homemade or imported from Canada.

A spokesman at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, Tristan Landry,
said the Canadian government has increased enforcement and toughened
laws against methamphetamine.

Among other measures, he said, the U. S. and Canada have been working
more closely to share intelligence and training of drug enforcement
officers. And the Canadian government in 2005 enacted regulations to
reduce the diversion of "precursor" chemicals, such as
pseudoephedrine, from legitimate uses to methamphetamine.

Mr. Landry said the Canadian government plans to work with Mr.
Schumer's office on the issues his office identified, although the
Embassy was unaware of his announcement Wednesday.

Mr. Schumer, who cosponsored legislation two years ago to make some
of the raw ingredients in methamphetamine harder to obtain, said he
would push legislation to more closely track sales of those items. He
also called for hiring more DEA agents in areas near the northern
border, diverting assets from the southern border if necessary.

"The gains that we've made, we want to make sure are not undone," Mr.
Schumer said.