BAD GUYS' LOSSES RISE IN POLK WAR ON METH

WINTER HAVEN - Hardly a day goes by in Polk County when a routine traffic
stop doesn't net methamphetamine, authorities say.

And law enforcement officials are uncovering more and more methamphetamine
manufacturing labs in homes and vehicles across the county, sheriff's Lt.
John Cook said.

"There is no question that meth is the drug of choice in Polk County," Cook
said.

Cook oversees the sheriff's office narcotics division and is a member of
the Central Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area unit, which
comprises local, state and federal agents.

"Polk County is ground zero for meth. It's almost always made here, and it
spreads across the state from here. And we've got a tremendous user base here."

In 2001, authorities busted four methamphetamine labs in Polk County. From
January through October 2002, they seized 17 labs manufacturing the
illegal, addictive stimulant. Polk County officials have confiscated 153
pounds of methamphetamine in the first 10 months of the year, slightly less
than the 160 pounds seized during 2001.

More meth makers, traffickers and users have been arrested in Polk County's
2,010 square miles than in any other Tampa Bay area county. The four
largest methamphetamine seizures in Florida history occurred in Polk,
including a 56-pound bust from a storage facility in Haines City in May.

But sheriff's Col. Grady Judd said he doesn't think the increase in lab
busts and drug seizures means the methamphetamine problem in Polk is
getting worse.

Rather, he said, it reflects the success law enforcement agencies are
having smoking out those who use and deal methamphetamine.

"We're really pleased with our efforts, and it shows that if you deal in
meth, make meth or use meth in Polk County, we're going to catch you," Judd
said.

Meth Takes A Toll

There also have been social costs to the methamphetamine problem in Polk. A
surge in the number of cases of hepatitis A, deemed the worst infectious
disease outbreak in Polk in 10 years, was linked to meth use, said health
department director Daniel Haight.

Polk has had 254 cases of the liver disease in 2002, about 100 more than in
2001.

Drug abusers tend to share needles and have poor hygiene, practices that
contribute to the spread of hepatitis A, Haight said.

"The majority of our hepatitis A problem can be traced directly back to
drug users, mostly meth users," Haight said. "It's really not a
community-wide problem, it's a drug-user problem that leaks out to infect
the rest of the community."

Judd said the more than $1 million in federal grants the county has
received since 1999 has allowed law enforcement officers to do more
undercover narcotics work and put in more time investigating
methamphetamine labs and trafficking operations.

Those grants also have allowed officials to better train patrol deputies,
store clerks, real estate agents and the public about what to look for in
detecting methamphetamine labs and home-based operations.

"A lot of the labs we've busted this year have been the result of
information we got from patrol deputies who responded to homes for domestic
violence calls or other unrelated calls and they spotted the equipment and
materials used to make meth," Cook said. "A couple of years ago, that
probably wouldn't have happened."

An educational sweep by the sheriff's office has included public service
announcements at movie theaters and billboards throughout the county
informing the public about rewards being offered for information on the
location of meth labs.

A newspaper insert featuring articles on meth addiction and production runs
several times a year. The insert includes photographs of people wanted in
connection with manufacturing or trafficking the drug.

Judd said sheriff's officials have educated store clerks about materials
used to make meth so they can keep an eye out for anyone buying those
ingredients in bulk. Polk real estate agents were schooled about what
home-based labs look like in case they come across anything similar when
showing homes for rent or sale, Judd said.

The educational campaign also has been directed toward post office
employees and shipping agencies to inform them of the ways manufacturers
and traffickers use the country's mail system to ship the drug.

"We need the public to be our eyes and our ears and help us fight this
war," sheriff's Capt. Tim Holleyman said. "We need the kid working at the
Wal-Mart to be paying attention, the neighbor down the street to be alert,
and for the public to be aware of what this stuff looks like and smells
like. The citizens are our partners in fighting meth."

Most of the chemicals and substances used to manufacture methamphetamine
are household and over-the-counter items, including cold medicine, bleach,
batteries, sulfuric acid and methanol. These are items that fail to raise
suspicion when purchased or seen stored at a home or elsewhere.

Drug Czar: Treat It

Jim McDonough, director of the Florida Office of Drug Control Policy, said
he expects the enforcement and education efforts in Polk to continue to
make life harder for makers and dealers.

But, McDonough said, the problem of meth in Polk County will be eradicated
only if the users get treatment.

"We're making a big dent in the problem, but it's still a supply-and-
demand thing," McDonough said. "A lot of heat has been placed on those who
deal and traffic in meth, but there are still so many people using and
playing Russian roulette with their brains.

"Unless we can get all those who are addicted to this drug to get help,
there will always be a meth problem in Polk County."

To report a methamphetamine dealer or lab, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-
226-8477 or the sheriff's office at (863) 533-0344.

For more on Polk County's methamphetamine drug problem, watch Jen Leigh's
report at 5 p.m. today on WFLA, News Channel 8. And tune in at 11 p.m. to
see Leigh's exclusive prison interview with Walter Steven Norris, who says
he was high on methamphetamine when he killed Winter Haven police Officer
Johnnie Patterson in 1997.