THE MURKY UNDERWORLD OF METH LABS

University College of the Fraser Valley researchers are trying to
determine what tools in the global fight against meth have been most
successful.

"I think the extent of the (meth lab) problem in B.C. is probably much
more significant than it has ever been," the college's RCMP research
chair Darryl Plecas said. "There's even some concern about the
likelihood that we'll see more of them."

The extent of marijuana grow-ops, as well as the enforcement and
prevention models have become well-known, he argued, but the same
cannot be said about the murky underworld of meth labs, which are
often much harder to detect.

Canada's larger and more sophisticated type of "super lab" contrasts
sharply with the smaller, user-based "cook operations" more typical in
the U.S., Plecas noted. As municipalities tighten up laws to prevent
grow-ops from being set up, some of those criminals may switch into
meth production.

He has pointed to calls for tougher penalties and sentences emerging
lately.

"So if you said, 'How many know meth labs could we see in a year?' you
could figure a dozen, which may not seem that many. But you don't need
that many meth labs before you cause havoc.

"It's conceivable that a single lab could supply the so-called market
demand for the entire province."