DRUG TASK FORCE AGENCIES BATTLING METH PROBLEM

(Editor's note: This is the second in a series of occasional articles on
the growing methamphetamine problem.)

COMIT Drug Task Force Agent J. R. Moore is accustomed to responding to meth
lab sites, and has seen how debilitating the addiction is to meth users.

"This is not the same thing as tracking down a marijuana patch used to be,"
Moore said. "Meth is easy to make and often easy to hide but once they are
hooked, some will do anything to get caught. In their mind, users want to
get caught in order to help them get off the drug."

Moore said he seized two meth labs from the same farm during 1999 and has
seen use and manufacture increase dramatically ever since.

"Meth use and manufacturing really increased during 2002," Moore said,
"because there is easy access to meth-making chemicals."

Moore said meth users become paranoid and often call to talk about their
addiction. "People I don't even know will call me and say they know I am
watching them," Moore said. "Callers say things like, 'I want you to know
that I am not using meth,' which is a dead give-away because you know they
are admitting that they do use meth."

Moore said statistics indicate meth use ranks fourth among the 10 most
misused drugs in the world, behind tobacco, alcohol, and prescription drug
usage.

"There is not enough personnel to investigate all of the meth-related
activity," Moore said. "On my list of things to do today is to contact 10
different attorneys, in order to interview 10 federal prisoners. I have to
get permission from the prison administrators to get ready for another
round of federal indictments. I also have to review binders filled with
case information pertaining to 16 federal defendants I plan to indict and
make federal probation calls for nine other former federal defendants.

"There is no way we can keep up with the caseload, especially if we get a
call to investigate another meth lab," Moore said. "Given the caseload,
many of these cases may be put off for a month or more. The whole system is
overwhelmed, from courts, to treatment to the DCFS caseworkers."

Moore said once it is determined a meth lab has been located, clandestine
meth lab dismantlers are called to the site. "The lab dismantlers then call
in the hazardous materials folks, who collect the material and inform the
Drug Enforcement Administration to authorize the cleanup.

Moore said meth, also known as speed or crystal when it is swallowed or
sniffed, is called crank when it is injected and as ice or glass when it is
smoked.

"Ice is a clear chunky crystal form of meth that resembles ice," Moore
said. "Meth use is on the rise and clandestine labs located in California
and Mexico are the primary sources of supply for meth that is available in
the United States."

Another form of meth that is growing in popularity is in tablet form.
"Yaba, which is Thai for crazy medicine, is a methamphetamine tablet that
is sometimes grape, orange and vanilla flavored," Moore said. "Though not
common in this area yet, these tablets are being marketed to a younger
audience. They are usually reddish-orange or green, and fit inside the end
of a drinking straw."

Moore said for every pound of methamphetamine produced, manufacturers leave
between 5 and 7 pounds of toxic waste behind that are being dumped into
streams, rivers, fields and sewage systems.

"Cleanup involved requires specialized training and equipment and costs
between $2,000 and $4,000 per site," Moore said. "Funds to clean up these
sites come from financially strapped state and local police and even that
funding is in danger of being cut."

Meth producers use the services of others to assist in the operation.
"Typically there are between 5 and 8 people involved in the manufacturing
process," Moore said. "Some of them travel from state to state, purchasing
pseudoephedrine pills. There is usually an anhydrous ammonia thief among
the bunch and someone who cooks the meth in batches.

"There is really very little money involved," Moore said. "Usually everyone
in the circle is given some meth for their part in the process. A typical
meth user has no assets. Even when they are caught, there is nothing to
seize. By that point in time they have lost everything worthwhile."

Meth users don't care about their health, their children or their home,
Moore said. "They don't care about anything but meth," Moore said. "And
kicking the habit is very difficult. It takes more than a few
days-typically a meth addict needs six months confinement and a lifetime of
counseling-much like a person addicted to alcohol who attends Alcoholics
Anonymous for the remainder of their lives."