STORE OWNER CHARGED WITH TRYING TO DELIVER 'METH LAB' CHEMICALS

A Gresham convenience store owner faces federal drug charges after being
arrested in Eugene with 200 cases of an over-the-counter cold medicine used
in the manufacture of methamphetamine, authorities said Thursday.

Agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency arrested Kyeong Jim Yom, 34,
when he arrived Tuesday in Eugene to deliver the cases of pseudoephedrine
to an undercover agent, a U.S. Department of Justice statement said.

Although the drug is commonly available in stores, it is used in
clandestine labs to make methamphetamine, and federal law bars its sale or
distribution for that purpose.

The government alleges that Yom "knew or should have known" that the
chemical was destined for a meth lab, said Assistant U.S. Attorney James
Laing. Yom faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted
of the charges.

The Eugene shipment contained a total of 1.7 million pseudoephedrine
tablets, enough to make more than 200 pounds of methamphetamine with a
street value of more than $2 million, according to the statement.

Yom was one of 16 people arrested over the past week throughout Oregon for
allegedly distributing pseudoephedrine. According to the Justice
Department, the arrests were the result of long-term investigations carried
out by the DEA and other federal agencies, along with police and the Oregon
Liquor Control Commission.

Although pseudoephedrine is commonly sold in grocery and drug stores, the
investigation focused on the double-dose, 60 mg tablets most often sold in
"non-traditional" outlets such as convenience stores, gas stations, truck
stops and head shops. The suspects in many similar investigations in recent
years have been the owners and employees of convenience stores who have
sold large amounts of pseudoephedrine to undercover agents, the Justice
Department claims.

Yom is the owner of a Portland-area convenience store, Best Buy Foods.
Laing said Yom allegedly agreed to sell 200 cases of the drug to an
undercover agent for $400,000.

Laing said he didn't know why agents arranged to have the tablets delivered
to Eugene and make the arrest here.

Lom also is charged in two similar incidents that occurred in the Portland
area, he said.