LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS SAY METH ON RISE

METH The status of methamphetamine on a local, state and nationwide level:

In the past two years, agents from the Lauderdale County Drug Task Force
have investigated 26 meth labs.

Agents from the Colbert County Drug Task Force seized a little more than
one pound of meth in 2002-2003.

In 2002, 5.3 percent of the United States population have used meth at some
point in their life.

In 2002, there were 163 meth lab incidents in Alabama.

There were 289 meth lab seizures in Alabama in 2003. In 1999, there were 30.

Methamphetamine has surpassed cocaine in abuse across Alabama.

Nationally, meth cost $20 to $300 per gram in 2001.

U.S. Rep Bud Cramer, D-Huntsville, hosted a methamphetamine enforcement
forum for law enforcement officials on Aug. 25, to discuss the statewide
fight against meth abuse.

People don't have to look far to find one of the fastest growing drugs in
northwest Alabama -- all the ingredients needed to make methamphetamine are
sold at the local dollar store, law enforcers say.

The accessibility of methamphetamine has made the drug a problem that's
likely to magnify in the coming years.

"We've seen a 300 percent increase in meth over a year's time, probably
because it's very easy to make and to supply," said Sgt. Mark Richard, an
agent with the Lawrence County Drug Task Force.

Marijuana is still the county's leading drug, he said, but meth has
recently replaced cocaine in the second-place spot.

Richard estimated that in the past year, the task force has arrested 17
people in Lawrence County for manufacturing meth and has raided 12 meth labs.

The biggest jump in the manufacture of meth has come in isolated, rural
communities. These areas typically provide more seclusion, said Colbert
County Sheriff Ronnie May.

"That's not always where the labs are going to be; that's where they
usually are," he said.

Colbert County, however, is doing better than some counties, said Curtis
Burns, who heads the county's drug task force.

Burns said the county probably has had no more than 10 cases concerning the
manufacturing of meth in the past couple of years.

Nevertheless, in February, a Colbert County meth raid resulted in the
arrest of eight people, showing that the drug still has a presence.

Because meth cooking stations are easily transferable, the drug can be made
and sold anywhere from mobile homes to the trunks of cars. Recipes are
available on the Internet.

Meth may be easy and cheap to make, but it is, ironically, one of the more
difficult and costly drugs for law enforcers to deal with.

"Cleaning up a large meth lab is very expensive, and it takes up a lot of
time," Burns said.

Because of the hazardous nature of the chemicals in meth, agents must use
protective suits and masks when seizing labs.

A single lab cleanup requires at least $500 worth of equipment that's not
reusable, Richard said.

To assist Lawrence County with these expenses, Cramer helped the county's
sheriff's office secure a $70,000 federal grant last spring.

The increase in the manufacture, sale and use of meth is in and of itself a
problem, but feeding a drug habit can also result in other types of crime.

Both Richard and Lauderdale County Sheriff Ronnie Willis attributed the
increase of break-ins to the growing popularity of meth and other drugs.

"It's safe to say that 90 percent of the burglaries and thefts we have is
drug-related," Richard said.

Willis said he knows to keep his eyes open when break-ins start picking up.

"People begin stealing stuff just to get their hands on something that they
can sell or swap for drugs," he said.

Willis recalled that in 2001, there was one meth lab found in Lauderdale
County. In the past two or three years, there have been about 12, he said.

The majority of these cases have come in east Lauderdale County.

Most law enforcers are quick to emphasize that crack cocaine and marijuana
still remain the most prominent drugs.

But meth is making unprecedented headway, they say.

"Crystal meth is catching on faster than crack ever did," May said. "It
certainly looks like it's going to be one of the illegal drugs that will
cause us the most trouble."