MAZUREK ASKS CONGRESSMEN FOR HELP

U.S. fails to answer state request for aid against meth

Montana should be included as part of a "high intensity drug trafficking
area," a designation that would qualify the state for additional federal
funds to fight drug problems, Montana Attorney General Joe Mazurek said
Wednesday.

The Montana Department of Justice asked to have Montana designated as a
high-intensity area in petition filed in March 1999 with the federal Drug
Enforcement Administration. To date, there has been no action by the DEA on
Montana's request, Assistant Attorney General Beth Baker said Wednesday from
Helena.

However, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah are part of the DEA-designated
trafficking area.

In a news release, Mazurek called on Montana's congressional delegation to
support the state Justice Department's petition.

"This is an ideal time to focus attention on the growing problems
methamphetamine is causing for communities in Montana," Mazurek said in the
news release, noting that Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the nation's drug czar, is
scheduled to be in Billings today with U.S. Sen. Max Baucus and other
officials. "I'm hopeful that Gen. Barry McCaffrey's presence here will
provide an opportunity for law enforcement officers from around the state to
convey just how hard it is to address these problems in a large, rural
state."

The focus of McCaffrey's visit to Billings is methamphetamine, also called
crank or speed. It is widely reported to be the most prevalent illegal drug
used in Montana, other than marijuana. Methamphetamine used in Montana is
illegally manufactured from a variety of chemicals, including caustic and
carcinogenic substances. The drug may be in the form of powder or chunks.
Users may snort or smoke the drug, or they may inject it intravenously.
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that often produces
paranoia, hallucinations and violent behavior in users.

Baker said Mazurek planned to meet with McCaffrey today in Billings.

What could the DEA designation do for Montana?

Last March, the Montana Justice Department requested $1 million from the DEA
to pay for additional investigative and forensic staff, drug analysis
equipment for the crime lab in Missoula, training and increased public
education. There has been "no official word" on this request in 10 months,
the Montana attorney general's office said.

Montana's petition to the DEA stated that the state's "virtually unprotected
Canadian border crossing points" and the state's interstate highway system
are bringing increasing amounts of methamphetamine into the state.

"Our petition also explains that the high unemployment on our Indian
reservations has made those areas prime targets for drug traffickers. Law
enforcement in many of these small communities, some of which have only one
or two officers, just don't have the resources to deal with the influx they
are facing," Mazurek said.

Pat Bellinghausen can be reached at (406) 657-1303, or by e-mail at
pbelling@billingsgazette.com