GWINNETT AND BARROW SEEING MORE METH USE

LAWRENCEVILLE -- Methamphetamine use is growing at epidemic
proportions, according to police in Gwinnett and Barrow counties. With
a total of 33 arrests for possession, sale, manufacturing or
trafficking meth in 2003 and 30 arrests for meth-related crimes this
year, Barrow County's four drug investigators spend more than half
their time combating the drug. Gwinnett Police have made 119
meth-related arrests in 2003 and 87 to date in 2004.

The most popular form of the drug is crystal meth, which looks like
clear crystals and is often called "ice." "Ice" can be smoked or taken
orally, according to Sgt. David White of the Barrow County Sheriff's
Office. "This year, we have arrested a vast range of people from the
age of 17 years old to 55 years old," White said.

The drug is so popular because it is readily available, according to
Maj. Murray Kogod of the Barrow County Sheriff's Office. Meth use has
also been growing in Gwinnett County due to the ease of manufacturing
it and the high profit margins, according to Lt. D.E. Spradley of the
Gwinnett Police Drug Task Force.

"It's easy to make in a motel room, the trunk of a car, anywhere you
can set up and cook the stuff to make it," Spradley said. In the past,
drugs such as cocaine and marijuana were more prevalent in the county,
but a strong market for meth has kept it in ever-growing supply.
Gwinnett Police seized 42,838 grams of meth in 2003 and have seized
17,439 grams to date in 2004.

"For us, meth is turning out to be quite a big thing," Spradley said.
"We are seeing more and more seizures." Meth busts are hazardous
because the labs used to manufacture the drug are notoriously
dangerous. The mixture of chemicals are potentially volatile and can
blow up if disturbed. Police often call out a hazardous materials crew
when a lab is discovered to prevent explosions, Spradley said. Meth is
trafficked throughout the United States on the interstate system, and
I-85 is "a major drug corridor" leading from Atlanta to the Northeast,
authorities said.

Police are trying new methods to combat manufacture of the drugs. In
the more populated southern area of Gwinnett County, drug
investigators this year held a series of meetings with housekeeping
staff of motels near I-85. The small seminars are designed to teach
staff how to recognize drug paraphernalia so they can alert
authorities to unusual behavior in the motel rooms.

Barrow County authorities plan to target a similar class toward
utility workers from Jackson EMC, Georgia Power and Alltel who
frequent that county's rural and residential areas.