WAS YOUR NEW HOME ONCE A DRUG LAB?

Thinking about renting your first apartment, or moving into a different one?

Or, maybe you're tempted to buy an existing house at a great price?

You might want to consider visiting the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration's Web site before you do either.

The U.S. DEA has, on its Web site, what could be the equivalent of
the National Sex Offender Registry.

The National Clandestine Laboratory Register aims to inform the
general public about places where drug labs once existed and were
raided by law enforcement authorities, and that there still may be
toxic chemicals present.

This is a great tool for aspiring homeowners and present and
eventual renters, officials said.

'It Could Be Anywhere'

Started in 2004, the registry has listings for all 50 states and
individual counties, and Guam. The U.S. Department of Justice
provides the Web site as a public service.

"What this points out to the people is that it could be anywhere; it
could be in your neighborhood," Rapadas said about the registry.

"We really want to stress that it could be in your back yard even,
and for people to be more aware of their surroundings," he said. "We
want our island to be safe and we would like residents to help make
the island safe."

Making one pound of the drug ice, Rapadas noted, produces five
pounds of toxic waste.

"This is the same thing as the Ordot dump, but it's in your
neighborhood," Rapadas said of places previously used as drug labs.
"People have to realize that this is a problem."

Falling Numbers

The number of Small Toxic Labs is diminishing in the United States,
according to Rapadas. On Guam, recent discoveries of such labs are
not so surprising he added, given the aggressive interdiction and
interception efforts of local and federal enforcement agencies.

"Some people have decided that they want to start producing ice on
Guam because they can't get as much as they used to," Rapadas said.
"Historically we've had a problem with imports, but there is less of
that now. The U.S. DEA, local police task force, agents from
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and even the postal
service, are doing a good job of finding and stopping these imports."

But there are two other factors to which Rapadas attributed the
nationwide decrease of clandestine labs: State leaders have begun
enacting laws that keep some of the "precursors" such as certain
ingredients and "hardware" out of the hands of regular people; and
the recent increase of "super labs" in Mexico are filling the void.

Island officials recognize the growing threat of manufacturing ice
locally, and have enacted laws that mirror those of the states.

Businesses that market commodities used in making the drug are
required to keep thorough records that include the date of purchase,
quantity purchased and information on the purchaser.