METH NOT ONLY DRUG TO PLAGUE OUR AREA

Probably no one in Parkersburg or vicinity shed any tears when four area
men were sentenced to prison Monday for trafficking in drugs. What is, in
our opinion, slightly eyebrow-raising is these four individuals had been
suspected of trafficking more than $1 million worth of drugs-mainly
cocaine-since 1995.

These men, unlike many of the more recent drug busts, were not operating a
meth lab out of a trailer. Meth use has been getting most of the publicity
recently, for good reason. Meth is a dangerous and volatile drug. It is
dangerous not only to the people making or "cooking" it, but because of the
volatile nature of its contents to neighbors and the police who investigate
suspects. Its use has been growing in West Virginia and other regions
around the country because of the relative ease in obtaining material
needed for its production. Legislatures in many states have attempted to
tighten the law, making it harder to obtain these materials.

This is good and we are not complaining about this development. However, we
must not forget the other drugs being brought into the Mid-Ohio Valley are
just as illegal-and just as deadly. Let us look at Monday's sentencing in
the U.S. Courthouse in Parkersburg. U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin
handed down the following sentences:

Marcus Henderson, 26, received five years in prison for his plea of guilty
to charges of conspiracy to distribute 500 or more grams of cocaine.

Dane Mason, 25, was convicted of conspiring to distribute 500 grams of
cocaine and was sentenced to 63 months in prison.

Nathan Hughes, 36, was found guilty of conspiring to distribute 500 grams
of cocaine and distributing 1.1 grams of cocaine. He was sentenced to 140
months in jail.

Lois King, was convicted on charges of conspiracy to launder money and was
sentenced to 41 months in prison. Two others, Kirt King and Mario Mason,
will be sentenced May 20 in Charleston on drug charges.

The Mid-Ohio Valley, because of its bucolic setting-a slow, beautiful river
rolling through lush, green hills-is a wonderful place to live. It is easy
to get complacent because of the area we live in. However, as this incident
shows, drugs are a part of the culture we live in and they are here in
large quantities in our own backyard. Law enforcement officers remain
vigilant to this problem and so should we all. The only way to put a dent
into the drug problem is to make sure what happened with these four
men-arrest, trial, conviction and sentencing-continues to happen to others
who would attempt to do the same thing.

Mid-Ohio Valley residents need to send a loud and clear message: we don't
want drugs-or drug dealers-in our community.