STATE POLICE: VIRGINIA'S METH TRAFFIC RISING

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Seizures of methamphetamine labs in Virginia had
reached 31 by Tuesday, nearly the same number state police had
recorded in the commonwealth for all of last year.

That rate puts Virginia on track to triple last year's seizures - 34 -
reflecting a growing drug problem and an increased effort to combat
it, law enforcement officials said. The raids led to about 60 arrests.

"In states where methamphetamine has gotten a foothold, it seems to
have taken off," said Lt. Edward Hope, assistant commander of the
state police Drug Enforcement Division in Richmond. "There's a lot of
reasons for that. One is the ease of manufacturing the substance. The
other is its addictive quality."

Methamphetamine is a stimulant also known as meth, crystal meth, ice
or crank. Users inhale or inject the substance, which can produce a
high that lasts for hours. Police said the drug can be manufactured
using instructions freely available on the Internet and with chemicals
commonly available in stores.

Virginia's meth lab seizures remain far below the triple-digit annual
numbers recorded in bordering states, such as Tennessee and North
Carolina, said 1st Sgt. John Ruffin, a State Police drug-enforcement
officer based in Wytheville. But he added that demand was rising for
the drug in Virginia and that some arrests had involved meth
manufacturers from other states.

"It comes down to supply and demand," he said, referring to drug
distributors. "When they can't get it shipped in, they'll make it
themselves."

Ruffin's supervisor, Lt. William Bess, said meth manufacturers are
concentrated in the state's southwestern region, with substantial
distribution networks existing as far away as Culpeper, located in the
northern and central area of Virginia. But demand for the drug, he
added, is present "throughout the state."

Police combat drug activity through about 25 task forces throughout
the state. They can combine federal agents with state and local
police, allowing for joint operations, training and funding.

Bess said the Drug Enforcement Agency's resources are particularly
useful to offset cleanup costs after police seize a lab, which often
involve hazardous and explosive chemicals. He said cleanup costs start
at least $3,000 per lab and can climb much higher. He also stressed
the importance of federal training resources, including a meth
lab-focused DEA course in Quantico police can attend at no charge.

"We're continuing to train people," Bess said. "We've got one agent
who's in the DEA lab school this week, and we've got two more lined up
in June."

Raymond Melick, agent-in-charge of the DEA's Roanoke office, said
methamphetamine use was rising across the country, and called
Virginia's sharp increases similar to those in other states. He
predicted the drug would soon overtake crack cocaine as the state's
top problem drug.

"It's a scourge on us right now," he said. "We've got to get a hold of
it."

Tim Murtaugh, spokesman for state Attorney General Jerry Kilgore,
linked methamphetamine and other drug problems to gang violence. The
General Assembly passed legislation this year to make drug
manufacturing in a child's presence a form of child abuse and give
police more authority over illegal immigrants involved in gangs and
drug trafficking, he said.

The issue is "front and center," Murtaugh added. "We know that where
there are illegal drugs and illegal gun activity, there will be gangs.
And where there are gangs, there will be drugs and gun violence."