C.B. COPS ON LOOKOUT FOR CRYSTAL METH LABS

SYDNEY - The street drug known as crystal meth is slowly gaining steam
in Cape Breton.

Cape Breton Regional Police say they're watching several homes where
they suspect residents have been cooking up the mind-altering drug
crystal methamphetamine in their kitchens or garages by using everyday
store products and a frying pan.

"We have information on a couple of suspected crystal meth labs
operating in the area," said Const. Steve Nagy, who works with the
force's street crime unit. "The danger with that is a lot of guys
around here don't know what they're doing.

"It's a matter of following directions, but if you screw up, you can
blow up your home or car."

It takes about $130 worth of store-bought goods to make about $2,800
worth of crystal meth using a potentially volatile process that
includes chemicals, heat and filters. Addicts usually smoke the
resulting clear rocks or powder in a pipe.

The three main ingredients are easy to find: pseudoephedrine -- found
in the cold remedy Sudafed -- iodine tincture and the common red
phosphorus strike pad found on a book of matches. Other ingredients
include Heet liniment, hydrochloric acid, drain cleaner, a bit of
acetone and other chemicals commonly found in hardware stores.

Just this week, the province began moving some cold medications behind
the counter to limit access.

"Ninety per cent of those who try crystal meth for the first time will
get addicted," Const. Nagy said. "First-time users describe the
feeling as being completely euphoric so they keep trying it again and
again.

"It's called chasing the high, but they never get it."

After a few months of use, it's common to develop severe skin
problems, including bumps, open sores and deep lesions, as the body
tries to shed toxins through sweat and urine. Eyes appear vacant.

The corrosive chemicals used in crystal meth can cause irreparable
harm.

"It causes permanent brain damage, and if you're lucky to get off of
it . . . it puts holes in your brain," Const. Nagy said. "So you're
never the same again."

Some hard-core addicts have been known to filter their own urine and
smoke the residue to try to get a wee high.

"You can have a meth lab anywhere . . . in your kitchen sink, the
trunk of your car, anywhere," Const. Nagy said. "It's one of the worst
drugs around right now."

Several busts to date have produced small quantities of crystal meth
but the drugs of choice in Cape Breton still appear to be cocaine,
ecstasy and marijuana.

The street crime unit has targeted 27 homes believed to be trafficking
in a variety of drugs.

Police say the street value of crystal meth compares to that of
cocaine at $100 to $125 per gram, but when sold in larger quantities
crystal meth is cheaper. A pound, or a little less than half a
kilogram, sells for $15,000 to $18,000 compared to $20,000 to $25,000
for the same quantity of cocaine.