FEWER METH LABS FOUND IN PUTNAM

Number Drops From 37 in 2005 to 16 in 2006

Putnam County Sheriff Mark Smith believes law enforcement officials
have turned a corner in the fight against the methamphetamine drug trade.

In 2006, 16 labs were uncovered in Putnam County -- fewer than half
the 37 labs found in 2005.

This year's drop also comes just two years after authorities
discovered 50 drug labs at Putnam County sites.

Only seven of the 2006 labs were actually being operated when
deputies found them.

The remaining nine labs were considered dumpsites found along
roadsides or elsewhere. Trash bags filled with empty cold medicine
containers or empty matchboxes were among the signals that the
materials were once used to make up a toxic drug lab, Smith said.

"We're smarter about this now," Smith said. "I would consider
anything as dangerous as methamphetamine to be a major problem. But
it's not as a major of a problem as it used to be."

Statewide, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency officials reported to a
September conference in Charleston that the numbers of labs have
plummeted over previous years.

That certainly held true in Putnam County where six months into 2005
the county was on pace to pass up the 2004 record number of labs
discovered and dismantled by law enforcement. But in mid-2005, a new
state law took effect that limited the sale of pseudoephedrine,
which is a crucial ingredient in meth.

"That helped us a lot," Smith said. "Now there is a federal bill in
the works that will control it nationwide. That will put more teeth in it."

After the state's law made it harder for meth users to buy their
ingredients, Smith predicts many ran for the border states to load
up on the ingredients being closely watched in West Virginia retail stores.

"Some retailers took it on themselves before the law to limit sales
and watch for the common ingredients. There were some who went ahead
and did the right thing [before the state law]," he said.

Smith said the public has been helpful too.

Several counties began drug tip lines in 2005 that allowed residents
to anonymously call in information about suspected drug activity. The
call traffic started out heavy then tapered off, Smith said. Now,
Putnam County's number may not be heavily used but it has had an
impact, he said.

"People know we've turned up the heat on them," Smith said. "We're
just not seeing as many any more. In this county, we have an
aggressive prosecutor's office and if you get caught cooking meth
you'll go to jail."