METH-MAKERS USE TOXIC RECIPE OF COMMON ITEMS

METHAMPHETAMINE trafficking and abuse is on the increase in Kanawha County.
As a result, this drug is having a devastating impact on communities
throughout the county.

Meth is clandestinely manufactured, using the ephedrine or pseudoephedrine
reduction method. In this process, over-the-counter cold and allergy
tablets are placed in a solution of water, alcohol or other solvent for
several hours until their ephedrine or pseudoephedrine separates. Then,
using common household products and equipment and a recipe learned from
other cooks or taken off the Internet, the ephedrine or pseudoephedrine is
converted into high-quality methamphetamine in makeshift, illegal labs by
untrained individuals.

Household products contain most of the necessary chemicals to complete the
manufacturing process. Certain brands of drain cleaner, for instance, have
a high concentration of sulfuric acid. When mixed with table salt, hydrogen
chloride gas is produced for use in the final stage of meth production.
These procedures are extremely dangerous and can cause death or serious
injury not only to the individuals making the methamphetamine, but to
anyone in the surrounding area, including children, neighbors and passersby.

The chemicals used to make meth are toxic and the lab operators routinely
dump waste into streams, fields and sewage systems. The chemical vapors
produced during cooking permeate the walls and carpets of houses and
buildings, making them uninhabitable. Cleaning up these sites requires
specialized training and costs several thousand dollars per site.

Common chemicals used to make methamphetamine include: alcohol (isopropyl
or rubbing alcohol), toluene (brake cleaner), ether (engine starter),
sulfuric acid (drain cleaner), red phosphorus (matches or road flares),
salt (table or rock), iodine (teat dip or crystals), lithium (batteries),
trichloroethane (gun scrubber), MSM (cutting agent), sodium metal, methyl
alcohol (gasoline additives), muriatic acid, anhydrous ammonia (farm
fertilizer), sodium hydroxide (lye), pseudoephedrine (cold tablets),
ephedrine (cold tablets), acetone and cat litter.

Typical equipment used to make methamphetamine includes: Pyrex or
Corningware dishes, jugs and bottles, paper towels, coffee filters, a
thermometer, cheesecloth, funnels, a blender, rubber tubing and gloves,
buckets, gas cans, tape, clamps, aluminum foil, propane tanks, a hotplate,
plastic cooler chests, measuring cups, towels or sheets and glass
laboratory beakers.

Purchased alone, none of these items represent narcotics activity. Frequent
or large-quantity purchases of one or more of these or similar products
may, however, indicate meth production.

Meth labs may be located virtually anywhere. They have been found in
secluded rural areas as well as in residential and commercial districts.
Law enforcement officers have seized laboratories at private residences,
hotels and motels and outdoor locations. Mobile laboratories have been
discovered in automobiles and luggage.

Chemicals used to produce methamphetamine are extremely hazardous. Some are
highly volatile and may ignite or explode if mixed or stored improperly.

The following, often in combination, may indicate the presence of a
methamphetamine laboratory: unusual odors, excessive amounts of trash,
particularly chemical containers, coffee filters or cloth stained red,
evidence of chemical waste or dumping, and frequent visitors, particularly
at unusual times.

If you suspect that someone in your neighborhood is operating a
methamphetamine laboratory, please contact the Metropolitan Drug
Enforcement Network Team at 348-6814. For your own safety, do not
investigate the suspected laboratory or confront the occupants.

Charnock is Kanawha County's new prosecutor.