SPEED DEMONS RISE UP

Police Wage War On Illegal Methamphetamine Operations

AS MARIJUANA grow operations proliferate across the country, police are
bracing for the next wave of illegal drug operations -- methamphetamine
labs. "I would say in the next two to three years here in Ontario, it's
going to almost be at an epidemic proportion," said clandestine lab expert
David Clarke, president of Canadian Emergency Planning Consultants Inc. in
Barrie.

The illegal and highly addictive drug has grown rapidly in popularity in
the U.S., resulting in drug labs popping up like weeds across the country
to meet the demand. The illegal labs already have a foothold in Western
Canada and many law enforcement officials believe they are swiftly heading
east.

"There has been a gradual increase over the last few years of meth labs
right across Canada," said Sgt. Doug Culver, the RCMP's national
co-ordinator for synthetic drug operations.

In 1999, the RCMP reported 14 meth labs across Canada. In 2003, that number
jumped to 26. In the past 18 months, police have discovered 15 labs in
southwestern Ontario, said Det. Sgt. Paul Henry, from the OPP drug
enforcement section.

"That seems to be a hotbed for them right now," he said. "It's definitely a
problem ... it seems to be creeping this way (Ottawa)."

In January 2003, police raided a clandestine east-end lab on Canotek Rd.
and seized enough chemicals to produce an estimated $20 million worth of
ecstasy pills.

FLASH FIRES

Drug labs house toxic and volatile chemicals, which have been known to
explode or cause flash fires.

The dangerous nature of meth labs was highlighted in southwestern Ontario
in January 2003, when one blew up at a Milverton home, seriously injuring a
father and son. The two were later charged.

These labs can cook up a smorgasbord of illicit street drugs, such as
methamphetamine, ecstasy and the date-rape drug GHB.

Many of the ingredients used to cooking meth are legal and found in most homes.

But for the "cooks" who mix up these chemicals, the potential profits far
outweigh the risk. For an investment of a couple of hundred dollars, they
can reap thousands in profits.

"When we start talking about drugs, we are looking basically at a crime of
greed," said Culver. "These people are not clandestine chemists because
they really don't know what they are doing."

Often they are following a recipe they got from someone else or found on
the Internet.

Organized crime has been linked to the majority of marijuana grow
operations across Canada. But the recent rash of meth labs in the Perth
County area was believed to be the work of a cook from the U.S. who taught
a group of paying students how to make the drugs based on his method, said
Clarke.

It is estimated that every cook will teach four to six people a year how to
produce the drugs. The result is a significant jump in the number of
clandestine labs, many run by people with very little knowledge about the
corrosive and explosive nature of the chemicals involved.

The cooking process takes about three hours and can be done almost anywhere
- -- an apartment, a house, a motel room.

Synthetic drug labs contain dangerous chemicals which leave contamination
behind even after the drug lab is dismantled and relocated. This puts the
next residents at risk, especially children.

"There is a vast amount of contamination that occurs during the cooking
process of making methamphetamine," said Culver. "There are vapours that
seep into the walls and the carpets."

Meth is a highly addictive stimulant, which can be taken orally, sniffed as
a powder or injected. When it is converted into crystals, it can be smoked,
which produces a more powerful effect.

Meth users might experience feelings of pleasure and a rush of sensation.

Largely known as a club drug, it goes by the street names of speed, meth,
crystal, glass, chalk, or ice. But whatever the name, the drug is extremely
dangerous and in some cases can be fatal even after a single dose.
Side-effects can include damage to brain-cell endings, insomnia, anorexia
or paranoia.

"There have been overdoses on meth and lots of other club drugs because the
user is not sure what they are getting or in what dose they are getting,"
said Culver.

Because there are no set standards for these drugs, there is no telling
what's actually in them, said Richard Viau, director of the drug analysis
service for Health Canada.

"You don't know the concentration of the drug, you don't know the
strength," he said. "You may have tried something like it in the past and
not had any problems. But you don't know the next time you try it what it
is that you're trying."

Often the dealer doesn't even know what he is selling.

Of the exhibits seized by police nationwide and submitted to Health Canada
for analysis, marijuana is the most common, followed by cocaine.

CONTROL CHEMICALS

"What we have been seeing the last couple of years is that meth is, in many
regions in the country, moving into third place," said Viau.

As U.S. law enforcement struggles to keep up with the spread of illegal
labs, their Canadian counterparts are taking steps to stem the expected
overflow.

In January 2003, Health Canada established regulations that will help to
monitor and control access to several chemicals used in the production of
illicit drugs.

"I think we are just starting to see the impact these controls are having,"
said Culver.

Some facts about methamphetamine:

- - Meth is a synthetic amphetamine stimulant commonly abused by intravenous
injection for the rapid, intense euphoria of the "rush" or "flash" effect.

- - Meth has a high potential for abuse and dependence. It is illegally
produced and sold in pill form, capsules, powder and chunks.

- - Clandestine labs known as "mom and pop" labs are found in rural, city and
suburban residences and even vehicles.

- - Some of the ingredients used to make meth include over-the-counter cold
and asthma medications containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, red
phosphorous, hydrochloric acid, drain cleaner, battery acid, lye, lantern
fuel and antifreeze.