METH BUST LARGEST EVER IN REGION

SEABROOK - A drug bust in Seabrook has netted the largest cache of
crystal methamphetamine ever seized in New England.

The 12 pounds of crystal methamphetamine was produced in "super labs"
in Mexico, said U.S. Attorney Thomas Colantuono on Thursday. It was
brought from Mexico to Georgia to Seabrook for distribution in New
England, an open market for methamphetamine, a highly addictive
manufactured drug that gives a quick high.

Drug Enforcement Administration officers and Seabrook police arrested
two men in front of Lowe's on Route 1 on Oct. 24. The meth was
allegedly hidden in their motor vehicle.

The 12 pounds of meth has a wholesale value of $250,000 and a street
value of at least $1.5 million, officials said Thursday.

Two other men were arrested in Lynn, Mass.

All have been indicted and are expected to appear in federal District
Court on Tuesday, Dec. 12. If convicted, they face life in prison and
fines of up to $4 million.

Authorities had no ages or addresses for the men, but they said they
believe all are from Georgia.

Arturo Soto-Saavedra, aka Ricardo Ocampo-Garcia, and Omar Hervis, aka
Omar Hebis, were arrested in Seabrook. Soto-Saavedra is a Mexican
national living in Atlanta, according to a released statement from
Colantuono.

Jose Ambriz, aka Joe Ambris, and Tyler James were arrested in Lynn,
Mass.

The four arrests follow a yearlong investigation by the Drug
Enforcement Administration and other law enforcement agencies,
including Seabrook police.

"I'm pleased to announce today the arrest (of) the four men involved
in the largest seizure of methamphetamine in New England," Colantuono
said during the press conference held on National Methamphetamine
Awareness Day. He was backed by 17 law enforcement officials from
various agencies.

County attorneys nationwide, said Rockingham County Attorney Jim
Reams, "have watched as methamphetamine has moved west to east." In
areas such as Oklahoma, Iowa and Nebraska, meth addiction is an
epidemic. Of equal concern are the meth labs, which create toxic fumes
and can explode.

Methamphetamine is made from mixing or "cooking" ingredients such as
cold medicine, lithium from batteries, iodine, lye and brake cleaner.
An estimated 90 percent of the drug is produced in super labs, while
10 percent is believed to be made by individuals in their homes, cars
or in the woods.

In the Seacoast, said Reams, a couple from South Carolina established
a meth lab in the Exeter-Hampton area. They have been prosecuted, he
said.

Two years ago in Portsmouth, he said, a meth lab was discovered in the
back of a car when the user passed out, leaving the car running.

"We've had a string of drug deaths in New Hampshire," said Reams.
"This drug is probably the worst we've seen."