LAW TOUGHENS METH LAB PENALTIES

Drug is particular problem in rural counties in WNC

RALEIGH - Hoping to halt the spread of methamphetamine labs, Gov. Mike
Easley signed into law Tuesday tougher penalties for criminals who produce
and manufacture the illegal drug, especially in the presence of children.

First-time offenders face at least five years in jail. Distributors can now
be convicted of second-degree murder if a user overdoses and dies. Those who
possess the ingredients to manufacture the drug or do so in the presence of
a child also face increased penalties.

The new law adds two years to a convicted meth producer's sentence if law
enforcement or emergency workers are injured during a drug bust.

"You usually think about illegal drugs being manufactured in other
countries," state Attorney General Roy Cooper said. "But with meth, it's in
the house next door, the apartment down the hall or even the hotel you're
staying in."

These reforms resulted from efforts by the state Attorney General's Office,
district attorneys and local law enforcement agencies to crack down on meth
labs across the state.

"It's a very, very big danger to society, so it needs a tougher punishment,"
Buncombe County District Attorney Ron Moore said. "People who are making
meth are putting in a scourge in the community that most won't recover
from."

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug that affects the central nervous
system. It is made from ingredients found in the neighborhood pharmacy or
hardware store, such as over-the-counter cold remedies and volatile
household chemicals.

Because the drug is so cheap to manufacture, it produces a large profit
margin for those who sell it. This makes rural counties, especially those in
Western North Carolina, vulnerable for its production and distribution.

Rural areas are also are targets for meth labs because the production
process creates a pungent odor that's more detectible in urban areas. Trash
and empty over-the-counter cold relief boxes are also more noticeable in
cities and suburbs, Watauga County Sheriff Mark Shook said.

Watauga County has been called the ground zero of meth production in North
Carolina. Thirty-four meth labs were discovered there last year. This
compares to the 12 and 14 labs uncovered in Buncombe and Rutherford counties
respectively.

About 27 labs have been found in Watauga this year, Shook said.

"It's caused a lot of crime," the sheriff said. "Our break-ins and violent
crimes have increased until we started focusing on the methamphetamine
problem. Then, the problems started decreasing."

Watauga, Ashe and Wilkes counties recently received a $170,000 grant from
the Governor's Crime Commission to fight meth labs. Western North Carolina
also will receive 14 new State Bureau of Investigation agents to crack down
on meth labs as a result of the state budget lawmakers approved last month.

"As a prosecutor for 15 years, I learned you can't do anything to stop the
problem unless you have tougher laws as tools for law enforcement and the
courts," Easley said. "This law sends a signal that North Carolina is
fighting back."