COUNTIES BATTLE NEW METH LAB EPIDEMIC

Meth labs have evolved as law enforcement stepped up efforts to stop them.

The large, stinking, kitchen-sized chemical factories that were meth labs
several years ago can now be toted in an ice chest. And be in a house or
room next door.

Creek County Sheriff Larry Fugate said the first meth lab he encountered
was "large-scale, with glass flasks and tubes extending all over the place"
as the meth ingredients were cooked over open flames.

That was in 1987, when as a deputy he found three such labs in Creek
County. In 1998, Fugate said 40 labs were found in Creek County, and
between 50 and 60 labs in 1999.

As federal and state agencies started controlling the chemicals and
ingredients, meth makers switched to alternative chemicals to heat or cook
their crank. And many of the alternatives can be bought over the counter in
discount chain stores or even feed stores, Fugate said. As a result, the
labs got smaller.

Recently, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs
notified state veterinarians that meth "cooks" are buying iodine crystals
to prepare their meth. Such crystals have legitimate use in veterinary
practices, "yet the customers do not seem to have much knowledge about
horses or basic veterinary uses for the product," the OBNDD said.

"This may be a clear sign that the customer is involved in methamphetamine
production," it said. The agency asked veterinarians to notify it if
suspicious of a customer.

Meth makers are not concerned about safety, either.

Rural farmers have reported liquid fertilizer, anhydrous ammonia, being
stolen from their fields. Thieves pop valves off tanks and transfer the gas
to a smaller container, such as a portable propane tank. The gas is a key
ingredient in producing meth, a cheap addictive stimulant.

In February, a Kay County sheriff's deputy interrupted an attempt by three
Wichita men to steal a 10-gallon ice chest of the gas. During pursuit, the
three men dumped the ice chest out of their vehicle. The deputy had to
drive through the ammonia cloud. But the thieves were caught.

The same month, a meth lab was discovered in Barnsdall -- north of Tulsa --
when a policeman answered a fire alarm at a house. A resident was trying to
put out the fire, which he said started when he dumped used chemicals down
the toilet for disposal. The fire apparently started from a chemical
reaction.

Sometimes a meth lab can be hazardous to the innocent public. In February,
29 people were rushed to a Grove hospital for treatment of headaches,
nausea and vomiting after a lab was found in a motel.

Just last Friday, a chemical spill in a moving meth lab sent three
McAlester police officers to the hospital for observation. Also, traffic
around two downtown McAlester blocks had to be rerouted, and one business
had to be evacuated.

And meth cooks can be brutal, Fugate said. Several months ago, his task
force hit a lab south of Bristow. The meth cooks tried to get rid of the
evidence by setting the house on fire, leaving a baby inside. The baby was
saved.