LATEST METH BUST MAY SLOW OTHER DRUG MANUFACTURERS, OFFICIAL SAYS

A raid on a drug lab last week could slow production of methamphetamine in
the area for several weeks, said Jefferson County's top narcotics investigator.

Police say they seized more than 100 gallons of a key methamphetamine
ingredient - enough to make several thousand doses of the drug - that they
believe John V. Glass intended to sell to other so-called meth cooks.

Sgt. John Dolan, head of the county's narcotics task force, said an
informant led police to Glass' house in Morse Mill, where they arrested "a
major drug dealer" and "several known meth manufacturers and dealers."

Glass, 40, lived at the home and was charged with manufacturing
methamphetamine, possession of anhydrous ammonia in an unapproved container
and felony possession of marijuana. Eleven others were arrested but had not
yet been charged on Tuesday.

Police say that inside the home, located at 60 Susan Drive, they found
about a pound of marijuana, several ounces of methamphetamine, and several
ingredients for making meth, including more than 100 gallons of anhydrous
ammonia. Police also seized about $8,000 in suspected drug proceeds,
building materials believed to have been stolen, and 14 guns, including
four allegedly stolen.

Although little methamphetamine was found, Glass allegedly had enough
anhydrous ammonia to make more than 100 pounds of the drug. Meth
manufacturers often steal the chemical from farmers, who use it as a
fertilizer. On Missouri's black market, anhydrous ammonia can sell for more
than $500 per gallon.

Dolan said he believed Glass and the others were selling anhydrous ammonia
to meth manufacturers across the area. He said police found the material in
several tanks designed for propane and other materials.

Anhydrous ammonia is the key ingredient for making meth in the so-called
Nazi method, named for the German troops who developed this quick way to
process meth during World War II. Dolan said that because so much of the
material is now off the black market, many area meth makers will need to
use slower and more difficult recipes.

Shirley Armstead of the Drug Enforcement Administration's St. Louis office
said that federal agents have seen an increase in the trafficking of
methamphetamine ingredients in Missouri.

"We're finding that more and more of our labs are anhydrous ammonia labs
and, generally, they're still stealing the ammonia from farmers," Armstead
said.

Armstead said that many Missouri farmers have taken steps to protect their
anhydrous ammonia tanks. As a result, area meth makers often must drive
farther to get the material. A favorite spot for meth cooks, she said, was
Illinois' Greene County, about 45 miles north of St. Louis.

Police said they have been unable to determine where the anhydrous ammonia
seized last week came from, nor where it may have been headed.

Jefferson County Sheriff Oliver "Glenn" Boyer said that police are
investigating whether Glass and his associates were part of a criminal
conspiracy that included drug-making and the sale of meth ingredients, as
well as other stolen goods.

"This had the capability to be a very large methamphetamine operation and
had probably been a very large operation in the recent past," Boyer said.
"But there was a lot more going on there than just a meth lab."

Boyer said that police found material believed to be stolen from housing
construction sites including an air conditioner, furnace and ductwork. He
said police found several automobile titles at the house and are
investigating whether any of the suspects may have operated a stolen-car
ring from the home.

Boyer said that more than 70 methamphetamine labs have been raided in
Jefferson County this year, and that he expects police to shut down more
than 200 labs before the end of the year.

"We've doubled our efforts through the implementation of the municipal and
county drug task force, and the result has been a boom in the number of
labs we've uncovered," Boyer said. "But it's possible that (last week's
bust) could have a significant impact on other labs."

Glass was released from custody Friday on a $50,000 bond.