PUTTING 'ICE' ON ICE

Large Quantity Of Drug Off Streets

The war on drugs is so massive that the average drug bust amounts to a
drop in the bucket. Marshall County authorities made a larger than
usual drop last week, taking more than 2 pounds of the purest form of
methamphetamine into custody.

A search at a residence near the Guntersville-Albertville city limits
turned up not only 2.8 pounds of the "ice" form of crystal
methamphetamine, but about six pounds of marijuana, 7,500 pills (most
of them Valium) and about 100 grams of a more common form of
methamphetamine. The more commonly found form of meth is about 40
percent pure; Marshall County Drug Enforcement Unit Director Rob
Savage said ice starts at 90 percent pure.

Savage estimated the street value of all the drugs seized last week to
be about $310,000 - uncut.

He said he would expect the ice to have been cut three or four times
before being sold, meaning it could have garnered far more money for
its distributor.

A 24-year-old woman was arrested when officers made the drug find -
the largest in Marshall County's history and one of the largest in the
state.

Authorities said they believe the drugs were to be sold to others for
distribution, not merely for personal use.

The benefit of this search and arrest is evident. A significant
quantity of drugs will never reach potential users, sparing them and
their families some pain, if only for a while.

We can only hope the fact that an alleged dealer lost more than a
quarter of a million dollars worth of drugs in a single day might have
a more resounding effect on those who would sell drugs in this and
other counties.

People take the risk of dealing drugs because of the money to be made.
One has to hope that a drug seizure of this magnitude, and the loss of
this much of their product without compensation will dissuade current
and aspiring drug dealers of this sort from plying their trade.

Add in the prospect of missing work time while in prison, and drug
busts like this one should have a chilling effect on ice sales, and
that of other illegal drugs.