MISSOURI EXPECTED TO LEAD U.S. IN METH FIGHT

The 2,725 Labs Seized In 2002 Show The Drug Is Endemic In The State.

When Jerry Neil joined the Jasper County Sheriff's Department in 1980, he
scoured the county by aircraft in search of marijuana. Today, battling
methamphetamine consumes the department's time and resources.

"We've had a lot of flash fires and homes burned down (from labs)," the
chief deputy said. "We've had several officers hospitalized from inhalation
when you take the lab down. ... I wish I could say I see a difference, but
it's so addictive."

For the second year in a row, Missouri is expected to lead the country in
meth lab seizures, said Mandy Pardoe, a crime information analyst for the
Missouri Highway Patrol. Missouri topped the list in 2001 with 2,130 lab
seizures, 415 more than the number reported in California.

According to the patrol, 2,725 meth lab seizures were reported last year,
up 29 percent from 2001.

Patrol Capt. C.T. Ricks said the total number of seizures should be
finalized by week's end, pending last-minute submissions from local law
enforcement agencies.

Statistics released by the patrol this week tell two tales about the
methamphetamine epidemic plaguing the state: Law-enforcement agencies are
aggressively seizing labs, but hot spots for manufacturing the homemade
drug are now shifting toward the state's eastern and southwestern edges.

Production and use are still high in the Ozarks, and Jasper County in
southwest Missouri led the state with 178 meth raids and seizures in 2002.
Franklin County -- immediately west of St. Louis metro area -- ranked
second with 152 raids and seizures last year, up from 67 in 2001, and
Jefferson County to the south of St. Louis was third with 148 last year, up
from 88 two years ago.

"It's an epidemic proportion and an insatiable appetite," Neil said. "It
just doesn't go away. 1995 is when we really saw it spring up, and it's
just gotten worse every year. It's high in recidivism. People get hooked on
it, and it's something they can make themselves."

Police and sheriff's departments throughout Missouri are required to send
an annual tally of lab seizures in their jurisdictions to the patrol's
Division of Drug and Crime Control, Ricks said.

"What we're seeing is that it's spreading," he said. "Meth is so easy to
produce that you can do it in a hotel room. You can do it in your car."

Missouri's numbers are sobering, Ricks said, but they indicate that
aggressive law enforcement efforts have successfully disrupted meth
manufacturing and trafficking.

In contrast, Vermont, New Jersey and Connecticut reported no meth lab
seizures for 2002, which Ricks said isn't necessarily something to be proud of.

"We feel that we're No. 1 in seizing labs," he said. "We don't think some
other states are as aggressive in going after them and getting them.
Missouri and Kansas are in the top four, but if we weren't busting (meth
labs), we'd be down at the bottom."

More than 500 officers in Missouri have been trained to recognize labs,
investigate meth dealers and deal with the chemicals used to make the drug,
including anhydrous ammonia, camping fuel and iodine.

"The iodine is probably the toughest thing to get," Neil said, adding that
the chemical is often obtained from a veterinary office or farm supply store.

Race Brothers Farm & Home Supply in Carthage keeps track of customers who
purchase iodine, and the names of well-known "dopers" frequently surface on
the lists, Neil said.

Texas County, which is largely surrounded by the Mark Twain National
Forest, came in fourth with 141 seizures reported.

Greene County ranked fifth with 115 meth lab seizures, 86 of which were
reported by the Springfield Police Department, Pardoe said.

"It appears as if it's a problem in the city, but few people take into
consideration that it's because the department is so proactive in seeking
out labs," said Officer Matt Brown, a spokesman for the Springfield Police
Department. "From Chief (Lynn) Rowe down to the officers, there's been an
emphasis put on ridding our city of this. ..

"We follow up on every (call) very aggressively. The majority of the busts
we make are from tips we get from the community."

Brown said community awareness and enforcement efforts have made it more
difficult to produce and purchase meth in Springfield.

Capt. George Larbey of the Greene County Sheriff's Department said the
agency actually investigated fewer meth labs last year than in 2001. The
department investigated 42 labs and its drug unit assisted with the cleanup
of 36 additional sites, he said.

Larbey attributed the decrease to comprehensive officer training, state
laws regulating the transportation of anhydrous ammonia and harsher
sentencing for those convicted of manufacturing or selling meth.

"I think regulation has been the greatest aid in combating this, and
education of the public has helped us," he said. "It's phenomenal how many
tips have added just a few more pieces to the puzzle."