STREET SMARTS

How To Spot Meth Labs Sprouting Up In O.C.

Irene Ortega was given just 10 minutes in 1995 to decide whether she
would take in her two young grandsons or allow them to be placed in a
foster home.

Her methamphetamine-addicted stepdaughter had been neglecting the
children, Ortega said. Social workers were removing them from their
mother's home.

Ortega, 51, was given an hour to drive to Pomona and get the children
and bring them home with her to San Clemente.

The 2 1/2-year-old boy had been hungry much of the time he lived with
his parents. Money went for drugs instead of groceries. At Ortega's
home, he kept opening the cupboards and refrigerator to stare at the
food.

His 3-month-old brother was malnourished and emaciated. He had been
born with methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana and barbiturates in his
system.

At Ortega's home, the infant cried incessantly and shook from drug
withdrawals.

Ortega described her heartache Friday at a Santa Ana forum
co-sponsored by the Orange County Methamphetamine Task Force. The
gathering sought to educate the community about the perils of
methamphetamine use and how to spot meth labs sprouting up in Orange
County neighborhoods.

Methamphetamine -a drug that stimulates the brain's pleasure centers
but lasts much longer than costlier cocaine - has become the nation's
second-most widely abused drug after alcohol, forum sponsors said.

California is the nation's top producer of methamphetamine, and a
four-county area that includes Orange County produces 71 percent of
the state's meth labs.

One reason methamphetamine is spreading so rapidly is it's relatively
easy to make. Key ingredients include household items such as cold
tablets, alcohol, acetone and paint thinner.

The labs spring up in motels and residential areas, exposing neighbors
to chemical hazards, fire and explosion risks and to drug violence.

Among the clues that there's a drug lab in your area are:

Unusual strong odors like ammonia, ether, cat urine or other
chemicals.

Homes with windows blacked out.

Lots of clear glass containers being brought into a home

Excessive traffic at all hours and excessive trash.

Tenants paying their rent in cash.

Today, Ortega and her husband, Richard, are planning to adopt their
younger grandson, now 4. who no longer is addicted but still has
asthma and is sensitive to loud noises. His 7-year-old brother is in a
group home. A reunion with his mother failed when she resumed using
drugs and took him with her on sexual and drug escapades. He is now up
for adoption.

"Drug dealers are no longer being found just in the ghettos," Ortega
said. "They are in affluent neighborhoods. ...Meth is easily available
anywhere in south (Orange) County."
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Register Columnist-Jeff Collins can be reached at(714) 796-7734.
Send e-mail to (jcollins@notes.freedom.com).