METH LABS IN SAMPSON HAVE DOUBLED SINCE 2007

The number of meth labs found in Sampson County, through August, has
doubled over the entire amount discovered and dismantled in 2007 --
and the county's sheriff said a meth lab has not been found locally
since June.

According to statistics disseminated by the N.C. State Bureau of
Investigation, there have been 20 confirmed clandestine lab responses
in Sampson as of the end of August. There were 10 in Sampson all of
last year.

The SBI has recorded 131 confirmed meth labs in the entire state,
approximately 40 percent of which have been in either Sampson or
Harnett counties. Harnett leads the state with 30 meth labs in 2008.

Similar to Sampson, Harnett has seen its number of labs double over
its 13 last year.

In 2007, Anson County had far and away the most meth labs seized with
28 in 2007. This year, that number stands at nine, third-highest
behind Sampson and Harnett. Johnston County has seven.

There are numerous counties out of the remaining 96 that have seen
lab responses, however none have had more than three labs.

Sampson County sheriff Jimmy Thornton said that, while the 20 meth
labs in Sampson ranks second in the state, it represents less than a
third of the number of total meth responses made by sheriff's
authorities this year.

"Even though we had 20 confirmed meth labs in the county, we had been
to more than 60 locations since the first of the year."

The most recent of the 20 labs, Thornton noted, was on Dobbersville
Road in June.

"We've gotten calls (since then), but they've all been unfounded," he
said.

In addition to the number of meth labs, there have been still more
meth dump sites found, Thornton said. A dump site is an area where
byproducts, remains and trash created during the production of meth
are discarded. Local authorities have said the contents at such sites
can be just as harmful as an active meth lab.

Thornton said he knows there is a "double-edged sword" mentality to
the number of meth labs found. On the one hand, the statistic can be
an indicator of a significant meth problem, on the other hand it can
be seen as a problem with which county residents are well aware.

According to statistics from the sheriff's Special Investigation
Division, there have been 62 meth-related responses in the county
since Jan. 1. The "lion's share" of the meth responses made -- and
labs found -- have come north of Clinton, the sheriff said.

"Our success has totally been attributed to the public notifying us
of the presence of meth in our county," said Thornton. "We would not
have been nearly as successful had they not contacted us. There's an
element of trust there, where they know that complaint will be taken
seriously and it will be investigated."

That community awareness of meth, he said, may not be present in
other counties.

"Apparently, in other counties, they don't get enough calls, or
people aren't educated enough to know the tell-tale signs," Thornton
said. "For the last four years, we've led the eastern part of the
state, east of I-95, in the number of meth labs."

He estimated in excess of 60 labs found in that time.

"We've been to more than 60 locations, and a third of these 60 were
in fact meth labs," the sheriff continued. "What if we had not gotten
any of these calls? We would not have gotten any meth labs. There's
got to be meth labs in other counties, there's just got to be. Maybe
people are just not tuned in to the meth labs in their counties. Law
enforcement will not be aware if citizens do not maintain contact
with those agencies."

The situation is serious, not just in Sampson, but wherever labs are
found, Thornton said. The meth operation can quickly spread, with one
"cooker" of the drug showing another how to cook, before that person
begins their own operation with several other users recruited to
horde ingredients for the manufacture of meth.

Thornton said he is driven to cut into the number of labs, so that
the number might begin to decrease.

"I don't want to say 'eliminate,' because that will never happen," he
remarked. "But you can keep them on the run and questioning when law
enforcement is going to show up."

Thornton said he received a call recently from a woman whose
granddaughter is recovering from a meth addiction. She is doing well,
but the addiction is so strong that the girl fears she will have a
relapse and needs a place where she can go to get away from any
temptation, Thornton said.

Another woman called the sheriff, and cried for help. Her son had
been high for two straight weeks, Thornton said.

"They're begging for help," he remarked. "And we've got a society
full of individuals addicted to drugs out there, whether it's pills,
meth, cocaine, marijuana or anything else. It's truly going to
destroy our society if we don't get a hold of it."