METH FOUND AT CROCUS

Crystal methamphetamine -- a potent and potentially lethal drug -- has
been found in a Brandon high school for the second time in four months.

A sniffer dog found crystal meth and marijuana when the Brandon School
Division did a spot-check at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School
Monday night.

Assistant superintendent Doug Milak said he was disappointed in the
findings, but vowed to keep up random searches to drive illegal drugs
from city schools.

"Hopefully, there certainly will be a deterrent in terms of searches,"
Milak said. "This will be an ongoing process, there's no question of
that."

Milak said it's tough to tell whether the second drug discovery this
school year is a sign kids aren't getting the message, but it's
definitely a sign drugs are easy to get in Brandon.

"We know it's out there, we know it's available," he
said.

The drugs were discovered during a two-and-a-half hour search that
started at about 10 p.m. when the school was empty. It was a
spot-check under the division's searches, inspections, screenings and
seizure policy.

A private investigator and dog from Niverville-based Rogue Crew
Investigations found the drugs hidden under a baseboard heater in a
change room, Milak said.

The crystal meth was in a baggie, the marijuana in a plastic
container. Milak couldn't say whether the drugs had been packaged for
sale.

Brandon Police Service Sgt. Ed Riglin said up to three grams of
marijuana and two grams of crystal meth were turned over to police
yesterday morning.

No one has been linked to the substances, Milak said, and Riglin said
police have no suspects.

Students who lingered outside the school yesterday weren't shocked
about the marijuana.

One 15-year-old girl, who asked not to be named, said some students
bring it to school for personal use and smoke it outside during breaks
or lunch.

But they were shocked that crystal meth was found.

"I don't believe that," said a 17-year-old boy. "It's bad. It kills
your brain cells."

"It's poison," said a 16-year-old girl. "It's killing yourself
slowly."

Manufactured in illegal laboratories -- often one's kitchen -- crystal
meth is a deadly chemical cocktail. Its ingredients include drain
cleaner and battery acid.

The highly-addictive drug creates a feeling of euphoria but can cause
psychosis and depression and make users violent. It can also cause a
heart attack or stroke.

Monday's search was the second since the division introduced its
search and seizure policy in July.

Crystal meth and marijuana were found at two other Brandon high
schools during the first check on Nov. 23.

A small bag of crystal methamphetamine was discovered in a boys'
bathroom at Neelin High School, while a small quantity of pot was
found in a girls' change room at Vincent Massey School. No drugs were
found at Crocus Plains that time.

"We're very serious about keeping the schools free of alcohol and
drugs," Milak said. "This is going to be something that we will
continue to be very vigilant on."

Crocus Plains students said they don't mind the idea of a
drug-sniffing dog nosing around their school.

"They're helping the person by taking a little chunk of their daily
drugs they need away," said one student.

One parent, Dr. Derry Decter, whose 17-year-old daughter goes to
Crocus, said he has confidence in the division and the school in
tackling the drug problem.

"The fact that they're finding this stuff means that they're looking
for it," said Decter who approves of the dog searches. "I would think
that they're on top of this."