OFFICIALS GET METH LAB INFO

HICKORY -- More than 150 law enforcement officers from across the state are
gathering here this week to gain skills that can help them crack down on
the rising number of methamphetamine labs in North Carolina. So far this
year, officials in the state have raided 173 meth labs, up from 98 in 2002.
They raided 34 labs in 2001, said Van Shaw, assistant special agent in
charge of the State Bureau of Investigation.

Methamphetamine, or crystal meth, is a highly addictive stimulant that can
be made with household chemicals.

"It's easier to manufacture now. You can make it on your stove with readily
available chemicals," said Shaw, coordinator of the SBI's Clandestine
Laboratory Research Unit.

The primary goal of the federally funded conference, sponsored by the U.S.
Bureau of Justice Assistance, is to familiarize officers with the methods
of investigating and dismantling the labs, and to promote officer safety.

"Raiding a meth lab is like a SWAT team raid in a toxic waste dump," said
Chief Agent John Duncan of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous
Drugs Control.

Duncan, one of the instructors of the three-day seminar, said a meth lab
raid is "probably the most dangerous thing a law enforcement officer can
do, shy of disarming a bomb."

In addition to facing possibly violent and armed offenders, the dangers of
a raid include potential explosions, fires and exposure to poisonous gases
that can cause serious immediate or long-term injuries, Duncan said.

Making the drug produces 5 pounds of hazardous waste for every pound of the
drug. Byproducts include hydrogen chloride gases, which are deadly if
inhaled in substantial doses, officials said.

The problem of meth is also an environmental concern, as the toxic waste is
often dumped in wooded or rural areas, or into rivers and streams.

"It's like having a dirty bomb in your back yard," said Thomas Keith,
district attorney for Forsyth County.

Shaw said one of the goals of the program is to give officers the
investigative training necessary to identify potential labs.

"We're being more aggressive, acting on every tip we get," said Watauga
County Sheriff Mark Shook, whose county leads the state in meth lab raids.

At least 74 North Carolina children this year have been found in homes with
meth labs, and many of them have tested positive for exposure to the drug.

Shaw and state Attorney General Roy Cooper are pushing for tougher laws
against people who operate methamphetamine labs, especially in households
with children. The pair last week lobbied the N.C. Sentencing and Policy
Advisory Commission for the tougher penalties. They also sought a separate
felony child endangerment charge for making meth in the presence of minors.

Someone charged with manufacturing or selling the drug could face seven to
23 years in jail, depending on the amount of the drug. Most first-time
offenders receive probation and often are arrested again for manufacturing
meth, Shaw said.