TODD SEES SURGE IN METH LABS

ELKTON -- Todd County is generally a quiet county with deep agricultural
roots. But the newest crop generated in the rolling hills of Todd County are
from makeshift methamphetamine labs - far from being a desirable crop in any
county.

Todd County has its problems with methamphetamine production, and it's not
alone. Nearby Hopkinsville deals with illegal lab producers frequenting the
city for meth ingredients, even though meth production in Christian County
has leveled off, law enforcement officials say.

Oak Grove has noticed a slight increase in meth production numbers, but the
reports there usually concern crystal meth, a party drug popular with young
men and women.

In Trigg County, meth lab production appears to be down, but Sheriff Randy
Clark notes that while they had two lab busts reported for all of 2003, his
office has destroyed two similar labs so far this year.

However, the most overworked police force perhaps in this area is that of
Todd County Sheriff Keith Wells.

Wells said part of the problem is a lack of resources for his department.
Besides Wells, there are only two full-time officers in the department and
one of those is a recent police academy graduate.

"It makes a difference if a car patrols your area all the time," said Wells,
who juggles his department to cover a country measuring 365 square miles.

"We just had one of the biggest raids in Kentucky pulled off by the state
police on the east Jefferson Davis highway (U.S. 68)," said Wells. "They
arrested four the other day."

Most of the labs in Todd County or in the immediate area, are mom-and-pop
affairs where somebody produces just enough methamphetamine for himself and
perhaps a few friends.

One reason Todd and the other rural counties see so much methamphetamine
activity is the ready availability of anhydrous ammonia, an important farm
fertilizer and a key part of meth production. People steal the ammonia to
sell to meth cookers or they take it for themselves.

"We have so much agriculture here versus eastern Kentucky. We have such a
large corn base which anhydrous is used for," said Cheyenne Albro, director
of the Pennyrile Narcotics Task Force.

"At any given time, this time of year there are 5 million gallons of
anhydrous ammonia in farmer's fields," he said.

The Task Force's statistics for 2003 show Christian County with 12 meth labs
discovered, while Todd County had five, Caldwell County one and Trigg County
one.

"For every discovered lab there are probably 10 labs out in the area," Albro
said.

That would give Christian County 120 labs, while Todd County could account
for 50.

Meth producers and users follow a predictable pattern says Albro.

"Your typical meth cook is a white male in his late 20s and early 30s," said
Albro, whose description touched on a peculiar trait of meth users -- they
are mostly white.

"I think in my career we've only arrested one or two African-American people
for manufacturing and very few Hispanics," said Albro.

A member of Hopkinsville's Special Investigations Unit points out that it's
hard to operate a meth lab in a larger community.

"The smell of anhydrous makes a really strong odor, which is hard for city
full of residents," said SIU member Randall Green.

Some people have compared the smell of meth cooking to that of rotten eggs,
or even cat urine.

Albro points out most of the commercial sources for meth lab ingredients
revolve around ephedrine, a chemical common in over-the-counter cold and
allergy medications. But since there's been so much recent publicity, most
meth cookers buy only two or three box of ephedrine-based medicines and then
go onto another store.

According Albro, it would take about 660 pills to make an ounce of meth."

Methamphetamine production is attractive because it can be a real
money-maker for drug dealers.

A gram of processed meth can bring $100 per gram on the street -- a gram
being comparable to a small packet of sugar substitute.

An ounce of methamphetamine can bring $1,200 to $1,600.

Everything in the production of meth is expensive, but the potential profits
are high.

Albro points out that a stolen gallon of anhydrous ammonia would bring about
$400 from an illegal meth cook.

"It's so easy to manufacture," points out Albro.

Once consumed, methamphetamine is a hard drug for the body to handle.

Albro estimates that one out of every three meth users will become addicted,
a much higher percentage than that for crack cocaine.