METH LAB DEATH SHOWS GROWING DANGER

The death of a Perry County man this week from injuries he received Sunday
in an explosion at a methamphetamine lab illustrates the dangers that come
with mixing together a volatile brew of chemicals to make illegal
narcotics, officials say.

Thomas Randall Windham of the Buck Creek community died Wednesday at a burn
center in Mobile, Ala. He is the state's third death in the last 45 days
resulting from explosions of methamphetamine labs, said Maj. Randy Johnson,
commander of the methamphetamine unit with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics.

"The ingredients used in the manufacture of methamphetamine are hazardous
and very dangerous," Johnson said.

Perry County Sheriff's officials in a press release said they believe that
Windham may have received his injuries from a methamphetamine lab explosion
at a house on Daughtry Hill Road which may have injured others.

Deputies are asking for the community's help in locating others who may
have been at the house. The sheriff can be reached at 964-8461. Perry
County Crime Stoppers number is 964-7867.

Johnson said with the numbers of methamphetamine cases and labs growing,
agents do not expect to see a decrease in the statistics.

"Meth is highly addictive, relatively easy to make and profitable," Johnson
said.

New figures released Friday from the Bureau of Narcotics show the number of
methamphetamine cases in Mississippi increased more than 50 percent from 2003.

There were 775 methamphetamine cases made by the Bureau of Narcotic in
2004, compared to 493 for 2003.

In 2004, 365 methamphetamine labs were found. Figures from 2003 were not
available. Agents also seized 38 pounds of methamphetamine in 2004,
compared to eight pounds in 2003.

While figures were not available on methamphetamine arrests, statewide
3,156 arrests for drug violations were up from 2003's 1,820.

Eric Dear, chief of emergency services with the Department of Environmental
Quality, said ingredients used in the manufacture of methamphetamine such
as lye, lithium strips from batteries and flammable materials create a
dangerous, explosive mixture.

Dear said there's a growing concern of the dangers of methamphetamine labs.

"We are greatly concerned not only the dangers to the people who make meth,
but to the children who are found in houses where meth is being made and to
residents of the neighborhoods near such labs," Dear said. "They take these
poisons, mix them together and apply heat. It can be a deadly combination."

Johnson said while officials are finding that a lot of Mexico-produced
methamphetamine is showing up in Mississippi, the number of illegal
methamphetamine labs is expected to grow.

"Users make their own to keep their habits going," Johnson said.

Johnson said an ounce of meth sells for between $100 and $1,200.

The cost of cleaning up methamphetamine lab sites is also expensive. Dear
said the lowest cost of a cleanup is about $3,500 with some going as high
as $25,000.

"Three years ago before the Drug Enforcement Agency restored funding to law
enforcement agencies we spent about $150,000 in four months cleaning up sites.

"The problem is that byproducts, such as hydrochloric acid, from the
manufacture are often dumped in septic tanks, in creeks or buried on the
property," Dear said.