OFFICIALS CONSIDER LOCKS TO PROTECT FERTILIZER

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A chemical that helps farmers grow their crops
also is a key ingredient in methamphetamine, resulting in a rash of
thefts that has state officials studying how to keep the fertilizer
more secure.

"Anhydrous theft is a huge problem in Ohio," said Scott Duff, the
state's leading investigator of methamphetamine. "There is no such
thing as a minor theft of anhydrous ammonia."

State agriculture and law enforcement officials think up to 10,000
valve locks could help keep thieves out of anhydrous ammonia tanks on
farms and at agribusinesses, but they're trying to figure out how to
pay for them. The locks cost about $40 each. The fertilizer often is
stolen by drug users who siphon out what they need and leave tank
valves broken or dripping, said Duff, with the Ohio Bureau of
Criminal Identification and Investigation. That raises safety
concerns because anhydrous ammonia can cause blindness within seconds
and lead to severe skin burns.