METH STILL A BATTLE

It's cheap, mobile, addictive and highly dangerous.

It's no wonder that police in northern Michigan are seeing increased
methamphetamine usage and crimes associated with drug addiction.

"It's kind of an interesting thing going on right now, down in your
area - Missaukee and Wexford and Osceola County - we're seeing an
awful lot of meth. Over the last two years, we've seen the most of
it," said 1st Lt. Chet Wilson of the Traverse Narcotics Team, which
handles drug enforcement operations in the area.

Marijuana is still king in overall substances involved in TNT cases
but meth has been climbing the ladder. In 2003, meth was involved in
13 cases; it rose to 18 in 2004; and up to 29 in 2005, making it the
second most involved drug in TNT cases.

At the same time, TNT states show cocaine has declined from 55 cases
in 2003 to 38 in 2004 and 27 in 2005. Prescription drugs also have
risen in the last three years, going from 15 cases in 2003 to 22 in
2004 and 26 in 2005.

The problem with meth, Wilson said, is that it can be made anywhere.
Police have found it in suitcases, backpacks, homes and trunks. When
one person knows how to do it, they will usually teach others and the
cycle continues, he said.

"A few years ago in Oceana County, a guy was over there with a mobile
meth lab cooking right on the lakeshore," Wilson said.

The trend has been noticed by more than just police.

"Probably the most troubling trend has been this meth stuff - I've
seen far more of that than we ever did before," said Wexford County
Prosecutor William Fagerman. "The other trend that's troubling is the
number of people abusing and trafficking prescription pain killers.

"We didn't see that at all four or five years ago," he added.

What's so troublesome is that meth and prescription activity has lead
to other crimes committed by persons supporting drug habits.

For example, Fagerman said the man who entered Cadillac Family
Pharmacy with a package he claimed was a bomb on Dec. 31, 2005 was
after prescription drugs.

Cadillac Director of Public Safety Jeff Hawke said meth is common
because of the ease which it's manufactured. Its main ingredients are
common chemicals and some other items that can be easy to obtain.
Cadillac Police still see marijuana more than any other drug.

"Marijuana has been common certainly throughout my career," he said.
"It seems to be a drug of choice."

Hawke has seen drugs rise and fall in popularity during his career
and meth is one that's on the rise.

Wilson agreed. Several years ago narcotics officers saw an increase
in the drug ecstasy.

"You won't have any then all the sudden it's just there - all the
sudden you have a big problem," he said.

Police do have tools to combat drugs. Meth has been one big target,
especially in local counties. Since beginning work in Osceola County
in 2004, officers have had marked success.

In 2003, TNT made no narcotics arrests in Osceola. In 2004, the
agency made 38 and in 2005, 129 people were arrested.

"Certainly I think we have made a difference," Wilson said. "We've
put a lot of people away from Osceola County and they've went
straight to prison after some pretty significant cases. It was kind
of easy pickens at first. Now, we're driving them underground more."

Osceola County Prosecutor Sandra Marvin, who serves on the TNT board,
said TNT arrests are "a big part of our case load."

She said her office is seeing mostly meth and cocaine cases.

"Before TNT came down, we weren't seeing a lot of drugs because we
didn't have any enforcement," Marvin said. "We knew they were there
but they were not being prosecuted.

"The first year they participated, some people referred to it as
shooting fish in a barrel because we were so overrun with drugs," she added.

Enforcement is a big part of getting the meth problem under control
but so is awareness and education. Wilson said retailers have helped
police tremendously by knowing what goes into meth manufacturing and
alerting authorities if they see suspicious activities.

In one case, police arrested two people from Texas after a clerk
informed them of a suspicious purchase. Without the awareness, Wilson
said the pair would have brought and spread a new meth production
method to the area.

Hawke said enforcement can also be focused on the demand side of the
problem. Examples include DARE programs or school liaison officer
programs where police can teach children to make positive choices
when confronted with drugs.

Cadillac police work with Cadillac Area Public Schools in an effort
to reduce drug possession within the school zone.

Without proactive efforts, the result can lead to further social
problems such as increased crime rates for those supporting habits
and the destruction of lives, Hawke said.