METH DOWN, HEROIN ON RISE

MAT-SU - Lately, when grand juries hand up indictments for drug
charges, meth-lab cooks are conspicuously absent, and the drugs of
choice now seem to be heroin, cocaine and pills.

In October, Michael Pope was indicted for possession of cocaine,
heroin and a firearm near Wasilla. In November, Tom Hess and Kim
Hutchings were indicted for possession of heroin, cocaine, methadone
and a prescription anti-anxiety medication in Palmer. In December,
Michael Whiting was indicted for possession of cocaine, oxycodone and
hydrocodone.

Law enforcement officers and a former assistant district attorney who
primarily prosecuted drug cases acknowledge a drop in the number of
meth labs in the Valley, and cite reasons for the difference.

Kelly Turney, an investigator and patrol officer with the Palmer
police, credited aggressive prosecution by the district attorney's
office and aggressive sentencing by judges for the reduction in
methamphetamine cooks setting up shop locally.

"It's really hampered the dealers, makers and users from doing what
they do," Turney said. "What we see more and more is heroin, and
cocaine that is made into crack."

The heroin found includes a liquid form with a rich vinegar smell, he
said, and users put it into nasal inhalers or inject it.

Methamphetamine is still out there, but the number of labs definitely
is down, he said.

"Now, the meth we're seeing is actual crystal meth - ice," Turney
said.

Turney noted 11 pounds of meth seized in Anchorage Nov. 30, after
police intercepted a package sent from California through FedEx.

"It's made in a different location, usually Mexico or overseas, and
imported," he said.

Sgt. Robert Langendorfer, an Alaska State Trooper with the Mat-Su
Narcotics Unit, said many factors play into the reduction of Mat-Su
meth labs.

"Clearly, meth labs are down," Langendorfer said. "Laws are certainly
a plus, but not the only factor."

People getting busted and good prosecution are some of the reasons
meth-lab numbers are down, but not the only reasons, he said.

"The community taking the problem seriously, that helps us,"
Langendorfer said. "Some cooks are in jail, that helps us. It's more
difficult to get (the ingredients), that helps us. It helped, but it
didn't fix it. "

Meth is too much of an addiction for people to easily to give it up,
and it is an epidemic, he said.

Langendorfer confirmed the increase in imported meth, saying it comes
from a number of different sources, but couldn't say for certain there
is more heroin in the region.

"I can say we're seeing more," he said. "Maybe there is more, or we
are seeing more. It's always changing, and we have to figure it out."

Curt Martin, who now works with the Department of Law in another
capacity, prosecuted many drug cases as a Palmer assistant district
attorney. Martin said legislation making ingredients less readily
available helped a little to reduce the number of meth labs, but he
cited other causes that had a greater affect.

"It's good cop work," Martin said. "They are relentless. That's a huge
reason for success."

Martin also cited the involvement of others in addressing the problem
of meth labs in the Valley.

"Carrs and Fred Meyer train their staff, and some of their employees
are phenomenal," Martin said. "It's a community effort."

Drug users wising up also might be a contributing factor in the
reduction of meth labs, he said.

"Every time we serve a search warrant, we have to leave a copy at the
house," he said. "That's an educational tool."

Legislation classifying meth-amphetamine as a Schedule I narcotic in
Alaska, a more serious classification than its current status as a
Schedule II, is what Martin would like to see.

"Why not Schedule I?" Martin said. "That's what gripes me. It's the
most insidious drug, but there's not much penalty when it's Schedule
II."