FARMING AMMONIA MAY BE TARGET FOR METH LAB CRIME

The disappearance of anhydrous ammonia from Alberta farms may actually be
giving rise to methamphetamine production, said RCMP Sgt. Ian Sanderson with
the Drug Awareness Service.

"Overall, it's something we've seen as a cause for concern," said
Sanderson, adding even though the RCMP is aware of the problem, many
farmers and landowners might not be.

"A lot of times they might not even realize it or understand it," he
said, adding it might be attributed to a more trusting and sharing
rural mindset. "(Farmers) might just think somebody needs it more than
they do."

What the ammonia might actually be used for is a key ingredient in the
illegal manufacture of D- methamphetamine. Made from ephedrine and
pseudoephedrine, it's the most potent variety of methamphetamine.

Larger meth labs, or `super labs,' are capable of producing 15
kilograms of the drug in a single reaction. Smaller home labs might
only produce around 30 grams per `cook,' but it's for that reason the
disappearance of smaller quantities of ammonia from farms might go
unnoticed or unreported.

"Five to 10 litres of ammonia off of a 300-litre tank wouldn't be
missed," explained Sanderson.

However, it's crimes like the draining of 120,000 litres of anhydrous
ammonia, valued at $40,000, from a farm near Petersfield, Manitoba
that have local RCMP fearing a potential similar trend.

"We've started to see some indicators that method might become more
popular here. We're trying to make people more aware," he said.

Landowners can do a variety of things to guard themselves against
potential theft of anhydrous ammonia, but Sanderson pointed out it's
really just sound advice all around for crime prevention.

"The first thing people should be doing is reporting any suspicious
activity in and around their farms," advised Sanderson.

Strong security measures might entail good lighting, video
surveillance, perimeter alarm systems and strong locks.

While the RCMP have been charting the increased use of methamphetamine
over the course of the last five years, gathering reliable statistical
information about its use and crimes like ammonia theft hasn't been
easy.

Part of the problem, said Sanderson, has a lot to do with the nature
of the meth labs themselves.

"The problem is that they're very portable. By the time (the RCMP)
hear about them, they're often long gone."

In an effort to develop a strategic approach to combatting the drug,
the RCMP have begun internally flagging case files with links to meth.
They could be as obvious as possession and dealing or even linked to
things less obvious like domestic violence.

"The one thing we know about meth is that it brings crime. Before it
was just trafficking and manufacture, but now we're seeing things
associated with it like robberies, break and enters and car theft.
Meth has the potential to riddle a community with crime -- a lot of
times it's violent crime."

Only into the first quarter of data analysis, Sanderson said it's
going to take time before the application of the meth data can be used
towards crime prevention.

"We have to allow for a bit of that data to collect ... we're starting
to collect it from around the province," he said, adding that
unfortunately the RCMP need to wait until the product is into the
pipeline to see where it's flowing.

"As we compile all the data, it gives us a picture of where (the crime
is) happening. In the future, the data will get better and better."