THIEVES STEALING FERTILIZER TO MAKE ILLEGAL DRUGS

Winnipeg -- Police are warning farmers about a new pest roaming the
Prairies this season: Thieves who steal fertilizer to concoct illegal drugs.

Farmers buy pressurized cylinders of the nitrogen-based fertilizer for $600
a tonne, but manufacturers of illegal drugs will pay hundreds of dollars a
kilogram for the noxious chemical on black markets because it's a key
ingredient for crystal methamphetamine.

As crystal meth's popularity grows on the Prairies, RCMP officials in
Alberta and Manitoba are telling farmers to move their storage tanks away
from roadways and to keep them well-lit.