METH LABS ON RISE IN COUNTY

CLINTON - The production of methamphetamine, known as "meth," by way of
clandestine labs throughout the country has risen and continues to grow in
Sampson and surrounding counties at an alarming rate.

Attorney General Roy Cooper released a report in January showing that in
just the last four years, secret drug labs that produce meth and subsequent
arrests have grown from nine in 1999 to 177 in 2003.

In Sampson County, Sheriff Jimmy Thornton said there have been four meth
labs identified and destroyed in the past year and a half alone.

According to statistics compiled by the State Bureau of Investigation,
state law enforcement agencies have already uncovered as many labs at this
point in 2004, as they did all of last year.

And while data also shows that North Carolina, compared to its bordering
states, has a lower level of meth activity, Duane Deaver, of the SBI's
Eastern N.C. Clandestine Lab Division, says the numbers may be lower
because many simply haven't been identified.

For that reason, Deaver, an agent active in both the investigation of meth
labs and in the education aspect, led two, two-hour seminars at Sampson
Community College on Tuesday.

Thornton, who attended the seminar, believes the statistics that Deaver
presented were accurate.

According to Deaver, a significant increase in the use of methamphetamine
and its toxic production sites has resulted in an urgent need to increase
awareness and recognition.

"The toxins produced in the making of methamphamine are extremely
dangerous," Deaver said. "It is important that you know what to look for
and the precautions necessary for you to remain safe."

For the most part, Deaver has focused on teaching fellow officers how to
spot the characteristics of a meth lab and its operators, but Tuesday he
was addressing local social services and healthcare personnel, telephone
and utility workers, as well as real estate agents and others -
professionals who regurlarly visit area residences.

"It has become apparent that traditional law enforcement measures have not
been successful in deterring this deadly epidemic," said J.W. Simmons, a
police officer and the director of Lifelong Learning at SCC. "We need to
call on Sampson County decision-makers to help address the problem and join
efforts to counter these potential tragedies in our community.

"One approach for real change can begin with an aggressive awareness effort
in our schools, communities, and within various organizations that service
our area. This effort cannot be done without recognition and support from
our county's leadership."

Meth is as addictive and dangerous as any drug the nation has ever seen,
Cooper's report states: "It destroys lives through addiction, mental
illness, crime and violence. Just as disturbing, these labs have put
children and unsuspecting neighbors at risk by exposing them to the dangers
of crime, toxic chemicals, explosions and fires.

"In too many cases we find children living in the very homes where these
dangerous drugs are made. In North Carolina, children have been found in
approximately 25 percent of meth labs. We must stop this from happening."

To meet the challenges posed by these secret drug labs, Cooper convened a
statewide Summit on Oct. 2, 2003 in Winston-Salem. More than 200 people
attended, including prosecutors, state and local law enforcement officers,
public health and social services officials and business leaders, along
with leaders of various state, federal and local agencies and non-profit
organizations. The discussions from that Summit served as a springboard for
Cooper's January report.

"Meth was once a problem primarily in the western United States. But over
the last few years, it has spread east and hit North Carolina," the report
stated.

"It looks like wildfire moving east," said Dan Salter of the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Agency in an published document.

In recent years, the secret labs that produce meth have begun to explode in
North Carolina, both figuratively and literally.

During a raid of a meth lab by the Cumberland County sheriff's office in
April of 2003, one neighbor told reporter Greg Barnes from Eyewitness News
11, "I see them drive by, wave ... it was a nice house, nice neighborhood.
I'm in shock."

What is methamphetamine?

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that impacts the central
nervous system. Meth users usually experience temporary euphoria and a
sense of increased energy. The typical high can last six hours or more and
can produce dangerous side effects such as irritability, paranoia, violent
behavior, insomnia and brain damage.

Known by other names, such as crank, speed, ice or wash, meth can be
injected, snorted or ingested orally.

Meth can be inexpensively manufactured by mixing and cooking raw
ingredients know as "precursors." These precursors, which include common
household goods and decongestant drugs containing ephedrine or
pseudoephedrine, are widely available from local drug and retail stores.
Because the drug is cheap and easy to make, it produces a large profit
margin for those who sell it.

Methamphetamine is a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substances Act.
Schedule II drugs, like cocaine and PCP, have little medical use and a high
potential for abuse.

Sources:

"Methamphetamine Abuse and Addiction," National Institute on Drug Abuse
Research Report Series, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
available online at
http://www.nida.nih.gov/ResearchReports/Methamp/Methamph.html.

"Methamphetamine," North Carolina Drug Threat Assessment, National Drug
Intelligence Center, April 2003, available online at
http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs3/3690/meth.htm.

What is a clandestine meth lab?

Clandestine drug labs (often known as clan labs) produce a variety of
illegal drugs, but in recent years law enforcement officials have seized a
large number of labs manufacturing methamphetamine. Once found primarily in
rural or sparsely populated areas, these labs are now being discovered in
all areas of the state and nation. These labs are very rudimentary and can
be set up virtually anywhere. Meth labs can be large, producing large
quantities of the drug, or they can be simple kitchen labs where addicts
cook the drug primarily for their own consumption. SBI agents and local law
enforcement officials have discovered labs inside vehicles, homes,
apartments, rental storage units, motel rooms, and in close proximity to
schools.

Source:

Nancy E. Gist, "Strategic Approaches to Clandestine Drug Labratory
Enforcement," Bureau of Justice Assistance Fact Sheet, United States
Department of Justice, September 1999, available online at
http://www.ncjrs.org/pdfiles/bja/fs000247.pdf.

What can be done?

Deaver, Simmons and Cooper all agree that punitive measures must be
enhanced to fight meth dangers. But so many more people, outside of the
courts and jails, must take a proactive approach. Education of the public
and training targeted individuals, is what Deaver and Simmons are focused
on at the present.

Other measures suggested include working with retail merchants to develop a
program to monitor the sale of precursor chemicals; training first
responders, such as firefighters and emergency medical personnel, of the
volatility and danger of a meth lab; and increasing resources for law
enforcement to combat the meth scourge; among others.

These are just a few of the recommendations put forth by those who have
taken up the fight against meth.

Earlier this year, Thornton and the sheriff's from surrounding counties all
met to discuss the best method of attack to help diffuse the growing
problem of meth labs, and they determined that more of their officers need
to be educated and certified as to how to deal with meth labs.