IOWA, NEBRASKA LAUNCH COORDINATED FIGHT AGAINST METH 'COOKERS'

If people cross the Missouri River to buy cold medicine so they can cook up
some meth, they will be caught, prosecuted and sent up the river.

That was the message sent Thursday by leading federal and local prosecutors
and law enforcement officers as they unveiled a new "Put the Brakes on Meth
Travel" initiative.

"We want to send a joint message to those who cross state lines to buy
pseudoephedrine," Charles Larson Sr., U.S. attorney for Iowa's Northern
District, announced. "The message is if you plan to travel across state
lines into Nebraska, you stand the chance of being prosecuted in state
court in Nebraska, federal court in Nebraska, state court in Iowa and
federal court in Iowa."

Mike Heavican, Nebraska's U.S. attorney, added, "Meth is a terrible scourge
to our citizens."

Nebraska's toughened meth law doesn't go into effect until Sept. 3, while
Iowa's toughest-in-the-nation law went into effect May 21. As a result,
Heavican reported drug makers are crossing state lines to buy the cold
medicines, a major ingredient in producing methamphetamine.

In the past 18 months, the Omaha Metro drug task force has arrested 77
people for the intent to manufacture meth by buying those cold medicines.
Of that number, 43 were from out of state -- 35 from Iowa.

"When both statutes are in place, there will be attempts in both states to
circumvent both statutes," he said. "Both states have 'retail watch'
programs to encourage retailers to cooperate with law enforcement."

Heavican and Larson made the announcement on the banks of the Missouri
River near the Anderson Dance Pavilion, joined by more than a dozen
Woodbury and Dakota County prosecutors and police officers. A similar
announcement was held in Omaha Thursday afternoon.

Marvin Van Haaften, Iowa's drug czar, said the enforcement and prosecution
effort is warranted since Iowa ranks second in the nation for the number of
meth labs and fourth in the nation in prosecutions.

"We passed what is now the toughest meth law in the United States," he
stressed.

Under Iowa law, all pseudoephedrine products must be kept on store shelves
and dispensed by licensed pharmacists. The buyer must provide
identification and the pharmacies must keep logs of purchases, Woobury
County Attorney Tom Mullin noted.

Outlets can sell only one package to a customer containing no more than 360
milligrams in a 24-hour period. Adults may legally buy up to 7.5 grams of
the drug per month. Buyers must be 18. Conviction is a Class D felony,
carrying a five-year prison term, Mullin noted.

Nebraska's new law will ban people from buying more than 1,440 milligrams
of the drug in a 24-hour period. That is equivalent to two, 24-tablet
packages. Buyers also must provide IDs and the cold medicines must be kept
behind counters or in locked cases.

Iowa's law is a model for federal legislation and other states. Wednesday
morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a version of the Iowa law.

"In a nutshell in Iowa, you cannot reach out and touch a package of
pseudoephedrine," Van Haaften stated. "Many of our 'cooks' are leaving our
state and going to other states. We do intend to follow them, arrest them
and prosecute them."

Dakota County Attorney Ed Matney said, "Coming into Dakota County isn't
going to work. We work closely with the Tri-State Drug Task Force."

Iowa's law is having an impact on meth cookers, Van Haaften said. During
May, he said there has been a 65 percent reduction in the number of meth
labs found and another 77 percent reduction in June. Those drops are much
more significant than the reduction in meth labs found in Arkansas and
Oklahoma during May and June.

That reflects the fact that methamphetamine production and use "is
particularly troublesome" in this part of the country, Larson noted.

Of the Iowa-Nebraska efforts, Heavican said, "This is not a
first-of-its-kind effort, but it's an extension of what we've tried to do
before."