KENTUCKY METH LABS LEAVE ROADS

Police Finding Fewer Mobile Labs As Cookeries Move To Static Sites

Kentucky State Police are seeing fewer mobile methamphetamine labs on the
road, but they are finding a lot of home cookeries, especially in rural
counties such as Todd.

"Most labs we discover are located in houses and buildings, i.e. unattached
garages and storage buildings," Trooper Stu Recke said. "All labs pose a
danger because they are explosive, toxic and cause respiratory problems due
to all the chemicals used in the manufacture of meth."

Police commonly find ingredients for methamphetamine -- including ether and
anhydrous ammonia -- in vehicles dealing the drug. But, Recke said, "they
are not actually cooking it in their vehicles."

State police have set aside additional manpower to combat the growing problem.

"We have had more training and education," Recke said. "We now have
officers who are trained to dismantle the meth labs, when before we had to
contact another agency."

Some officers have also had training with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency,
and Recke said the goal is to eventually have all the officers DEA-trained.

Last month, Kentucky's U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield announced $750,000 in funding
for Kentucky State Police's Pennyrile Narcotics Task Force, based in
Hopkinsville. The money will buy training and equipment for officers
involved in investigating and cleaning up labs.

"It is imperative that the police have the equipment and training they need
to eliminate methamphetamine," Whitfield said. "I have gone out on patrol
and have seen what the meth problem can do to our community."

In rural areas, particularly Western Kentucky, chemicals needed to produce
meth are readily available because they are used by farmers. Ether and
anhydrous ammonia, common farm chemicals, can be used in the manufacture of
the drug.

"They smell similar, but both smell bad and are hard to hide. We receive a
lot of complaints (about) strong odors," Recke said. "When we investigate,
we usually locate a lab."