EVANS - METH ARRESTS DOWN IN CENTRALIA

Police Chief Says Drug Users Are Apparently Making Shift To Heroin Use

CENTRALIA - A recently-enacted law which makes it more difficult to
buy Sudafed or pseudoephedrine, which can be a precursor to the
manufacture of methamphetamine, seems to be making a positive impact
in Centralia, according to Police Chief Larry Evans.

However, he said statistics suggest that some drug abusers may be
switching to other drugs, including heroin.

On Jan. 15, the Illinois Legislature enacted a law saying people
buying these medicines must sign for them and the quantities sold are limited.

Evans said, "Comparing year-to-date figures for 2005 and 2006 shows
that 2005-year-to-date we made 29 possession of methamphetamine
arrests and in the same period for '06 we've made two.

"On the other hand, for '06 we've seen 11 arrests for possession of
heroin and in '05 we had zero at this point."

The police chief said, "Overall, last year, [at this time] we had a
total of 103 drug-related arrests and this year we're at 94. The
numbers are about the same, but we've had a switch or transition from
one type of drug to another because of the new laws."

Evans said he feels the restrictions on the purchase of Sudafed or
pseudoephedrine "have been a large, contributing factor - that and
our targeting a drug, specifically, I think has contributed to a lot
of the public awareness you see out there. I think it all combines to
have a real effect."

Illinois State Police response teams have had a busy first year
combating the spread of meth labs around the state, according to
state officials.

According to The Associated Press, the teams of troopers handled 750
meth-related incidents in their first year of operation, made more
than 650 arrests and seized nearly 213,000 grams of meth and
materials to make the drug.

The teams were formed in May 2005 in six cities around the state to
help authorities deal with meth cases.

More than 750 cases were referred to the teams by local law
enforcement or other State Police investigative units, and many of
the arrests involved purchasing of materials needed to produce meth,
officials said.

Evans said the decreasing numbers of meth arrests are encouraging,
but the signs of increasing abuse of heroin or other drugs are not.
He said the usage can't be categorized by socioeconomic factors.
"Some of the more high-profile people, that you wouldn't expect, are
using drugs," he said.

Evans said the Centralia Police Department still has home drug
testing kits available, for free, to parents who want to test their
children for drugs.

He also cautioned that some of the heroin coming into Centralia is
from places like Chicago, where some heroin has been laced with
chemicals which have killed more than 100 people. He said some also
comes from the East St. Louis area, according to information which
has been obtained by Centralia police.