ILLEGAL DRUG'S MANUFACTURE PUTS RURAL AREAS AT RISK

SHELBYVILLE, Ill., Nov. 10 - Illegal methamphetamine laboratories by
the hundreds have moved into rural areas of Missouri and Illinois,
turning commonly used farm chemicals into grave hazards and making
quiet neighborhoods and towns dangerous places to live.

In 1996, Illinois authorities closed down one methamphetamine
laboratory. Last year, they shut 207. State and federal officials here
say the laboratories seem to be moving in from Missouri, where the
state police report that 615 were seized last year.

Demand for the drug, a stimulant more commonly known as speed, is up,
authorities said, and it is cheap to make and lucrative to sell. An
ounce of methamphetamine, which can be inhaled or injected, that is
purchased for $1,500 can be made for $150.

Unlike manufacturing operations on the West Coast, which can be very
large, these laboratories are small and crude, set up in sheds,
trailers, hotel rooms or the backs of cars. They are moving to rural
areas because the manufacturing process smells so bad it can give them
away to neighbors. But too often, police say, the neighbors suffer the
consequences.

In February, just before dawn, a police officer surprised thieves at a
farm-supply outlet in Pleasant Hill, Mo., 30 miles south of Kansas
City. The thieves fled, dropping the hose to a 1,000-gallon tank of
anhydrous ammonia, a toxic chemical used to fertilize farms - and make
methamphetamine. More than 200 gallons vaporized into a toxic cloud.

"It was hugging the ground, moving like a fog," said the fire chief,
John M. Smith, who ordered the evacuation of 250 people. Five people
were treated for minor injuries.

Thousand-gallon tanks are a common sight around here in the spring and
fall, when farmers fertilize their fields. Farm-supply stores rent
hundreds of them to farmers who use special equipment to apply the
ammonia under the soil. If it rains, a tank may be left unattended by
the side of the road for a few days until the field dries out.

Anhydrous ammonia is both dangerous and inexpensive. It is an
essential ingredient in the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine,
law enforcement officials say, and it is the only one that cannot
easily be purchased over the counter.

In Shelbyville, Jeff Sullivan, general manager of the Lakeland FS
farm-supply chain, said he and other fertilizer dealers were worried
about the dangers to the community.

Anhydrous ammonia is "a pressurized, dangerous chemical that is not
forgiving," he said. "It will burn your eyes, burn your skin. People
have no idea what they're dealing with."

The thieves "are ruthless," he said. "They'll cut through fences and
shoot out the lights. There's no way to stop them."

Last year, a man with a fire extinguisher full of anhydrous ammonia on
his lap died of burns on Interstate- 55 south of St. Louis, after the
liquid leaked and the extinguisher exploded. A paramedic, a
firefighter and a passer-by who stopped to help were treated for
inhalation burns.

Master Sgt. Dave McLearin, an Illinois State Police officer assigned
to the East Illinois task force on drugs, said, "We've had people
steal it and put it in coolers, plastic gas cans, even glass jars."
All of those containers corrode.

New legislation in Illinois, which will make it a felony to transfer
anhydrous ammonia in a portable container not authorized by law, will
go into effect in January.

In August, Gov. George Ryan of Illinois urged other members of the
Midwestern Governors Conference to join him in developing a stronger
plan of action against the manufacture of methamphetamines.

He has also set up a multiagency group - including conservation,
public health, agriculture, and family service agencies, as well as
fire and police officials - to identify the risks of family violence
and threat to the environment posed by the drug.

Master Sgt. Bruce Liebe, an Illinois State Police officer who has
worked with the Drug Enforcement Administration here, said the
manufacture of a pound of methamphetamine generated six pounds of
waste. Sometimes it is buried, sometimes it is dumped in garbage bags
on the side of the road. State officials have warned rural residents
not to open any bags they find.

Officials with the D.E.A. in St. Louis say Iowa, Nebraska, South
Dakota and Kansas also have serious problems with methamphetamine
production and dealing.

"One of the things we're finding is that a lot of high-school-age kids
are using it," said Shirley Armstead, a spokeswoman for the agency. "A
lot of times children are allowed to be in the areas where meth is
produced."

Last year, the Shelbyville police found a laboratory in the basement
of a small home not far from the center of town. The toxic fumes were
vented up the chimney. Across the street was the Little Red Engine day
care center, with 40 children, ages 15 months to 12 years.

"I had no idea," said Shawn Rickett, director of the center. She said
she was angry and shocked that the lab was "that close to the kids.
It's a scary situation."