OFFICIALS DISCOVER FEWER METH LABS IN CASCADE COUNTY IN 2007

The good news: Authorities are finding fewer methamphetamine
"cooking" labs in northcentral Montana.

The bad: About 50 arrests are made each year in the region for
selling or possessing the drug.

The bottom line:

"We still have a serious meth problem," Cascade County Sheriff David
Castle said.

Castle's mixed message on meth was part of an update he gave Tuesday
to Cascade County commissioners on the work of the Central Montana
Drug Task Force in 2007.

During the year, authorities discovered four labs where meth was
made, down from five labs in 2006, 10 in 2005 and 16 in 2004.

The steady decline in labs doesn't necessarily mean the drug is
disappearing, the sheriff said.

Of the 148 felony drug arrests the task force made in 2007, 44 were
related to meth. And almost six pounds of the drug -- worth an
estimated $400,000 on the street -- was recovered.

The lab and arrest numbers show that meth still is being brought into
the area and sold, even if less meth is being manufactured locally in
clandestine laboratories, Castle said.

The sheriff said education remains critical in reducing the use of
meth and other drugs. He cited neighborhood watches and organizations
that work with children and teenagers as key contributors in reducing use.

"We're not going to arrest our way out of this," he said.

State, local and federal agents make up the task force, which
officially includes Cascade and Teton counties but it conducts
investigations throughout central Montana. Castle said investigations
have even taken officers to other states.

The nine-member organization received a $104,000 "high-intensity drug
trafficking area" grant from the federal White House Office of
National Drug Control Policy in 2007. It's applying for a $119,734
grant this year.

Task force officers target "big players" who sell and make the drug,
Castle said.

"We have a heck of a team," he added.

In 2007, investigators:

Made 148 felony drug arrests. Most were related to meth and marijuana.

Seized six pounds of meth, 52 pounds of marijuana, 2.5 pounds of
cocaine, and 545 dosage units of prescription pills.

Seized $56,148 in cash; $76,500 in vehicles, including a large
four-wheel-drive Hummer; and $13,000 in property, including fancy jewelry.

Seized assets are placed in a forfeiture fund and divided between the
local, state and federal agencies that supply manpower to the task
force, Castle said. The money is used to help pay for overtime and
equipment and as "buy money" in undercover operations.