Series: Part 1 Of 16

HOW BIG IS THE PROBLEM?

St. Clair County Sheriff's Deputy Sgt. Roy Mullins and his K-9 partner,
Barry, check and search cars for drugs at county high schools on a regular
basis. Mullins said he feels crystal meth is the biggest threat to young
people right now. (Kellie Long/The Daily Home)

Every time police officers arrest a drug dealer, every time they raid a
crystal meth lab, every time they seize a car, cash and dope shipment, they
win another battle in the war against drugs.

But for the majority of the warriors, those victories are small compared to
the magnitude of the overall drug epidemic facing the communities they are
sworn to protect.

"We're seeing and hearing it daily, and in my opinion, it's a bad problem
in this county," said St. Clair Sheriff's deputy Sgt. Roy Mullins. "We're
constantly getting tips and information about meth labs, users, all of it.
It's a constant battle, and we can't ever let up."

Mullins, St. Clair County's K-9 officer, started working with the Sheriff's
Department in 1993, and he said the drug epidemic has gotten worse since
that time -- but efforts in the fight have also stepped up.

"Drug use in St. Clair County really isn't any worse than it is anywhere
else," he said. "But we are beginning to see more and more crystal
methamphetamine use here. It's the hottest thing in our area right now.
Young people are experimenting with it and trying to set up labs. It's
really one of the biggest threats out there."

But Mullins adds that St. Clair hasn't really seen the worst of the meth
problem yet.

"There are places where meth users are so bad off that they begin to
develop open sores on their bodies that the chemicals leach out of the body
through. Some are so bad off they will suck on the sores to get high."

According to Mullins, the department has made several meth connected
arrests in the past few months, including one in late November in which a
Pell City man was taken into custody after deputies found a substantial
quantity of the rock-shaped drug in his vehicle.

The street value of the product was more than $8,000.

"We've got them on the move now," Mullins said. "They'll cook it in one
place and then another. We've got enough going on that we have gotten their
attention, but it's a continuous fight."

Mullins and other officers working narcotics across the county have
received threats against themselves and even their families if they don't
"back off" their pursuit of a victory in the war on drugs.

"We take the threats seriously, but they're a pretty common thing in law
enforcement, especially in drug cases," he said. "But it makes us just want
to ride those problem areas even harder."

In Talladega, the concern is not so much with crystal methamphetamine as
with crack and powder cocaine.

"Marijuana, as always, is still a big issue here," said Cary Ward,
Talladega Police Department's captain over narcotics.

Ward said he feels Talladega's problem is also equal to most other places,
but they also are now experiencing an increase in meth use and production.

"We're also starting to see a lot more prescription drug fraud," he said.

Ward added that he and his investigators are seeing the connections between
drug use and other crimes as well.

"A lot of burglaries here are committed by people trying to obtain drug
money," he said.

According to Ward, the Talladega Police Department made more than 100 drug
distribution cases last year. In the first nine months of 2003, officers
made more than 60 cases of distribution, 30 cases involving marijuana and
25 cases for possession of drug paraphernalia.

"We're trying to make things better here," he said. "We're trying to put
them in jail."

Mullins agrees with Ward, saying he believes the majority of other crimes
in St. Clair could be connected, in one way or another, to the use or sale
of illegal drugs.

"Drugs are the root of all evil," Mullins said. "It causes burglaries,
robberies, purse snatching, family disputes and other crimes. They'll do
whatever they have to do to get their drugs."

Mullins and Deputy Chris Long have also seen a lot of domestic violence
cases where drugs or alcohol are involved.

"I've been into homes where the assailant has been using meth and hasn't
slept in three days and he turns on his spouse, kids or significant
others," Long said. "The problem is big and it takes a lot of work to fight
it."

Talladega County Sheriff Jerry Studdard agrees with other law enforcement
officials and said the growing problem with crystal meth is a top priority.

"Every year something new comes out for us to have to fight," he said.
"Right now it's crystal meth and it's running rampant in every county in
the United States."

He said crack, cocaine and marijuana are still a constant presence in the
county and efforts against them have not staggered.

"We just busted a whole plane load of marijuana recently," Studdard said.
"It's still here, too, and we're fighting it as hard as we can."

In Pell City, Sgt. Don Newton said the problem is not nearly as bad as it
is in other places.

"We don't have to deal much with professional dealers," he said. "It's
mostly kids sharing stuff with their buddies. But I do see a bigger threat
if crystal meth takes a hold here."

In the courts, the number of drug cases increases every day, according to
St. Clair County Assistant District Attorney Richard Minor.

"Every day someone is in on drug charges," he said, "especially with the
rise of meth in the county. About 85 to 90 percent of crimes committed in
this county are related to drugs."

Minor said there have been approximately 275 drug-related cases heard at
the Pell City courthouse from January to Nov. 3, and he expects the
situation to worsen.

"I believe our drug problem is no worse than anyone else's, but I would say
it's getting worse than it was two to three years ago," he said. "With the
population explosion in the county, we can't pick and choose who moves into
the area. We have to take the bad with the good."

Talladega County District Attorney Steve Giddens said he has seen a
dramatic increase in drug cases in the past two to three years.

"I have seen an increase of 200 to 300 indictments over the last couple of
years," he said. "The increase in cases and the number of crimes committed
has increased along with the growing appearance of crystal methamphetamine."

Last year, Giddens said his office saw approximately 1,050 overall
indictments, with at least 80 percent of those being drug related.

"A very large percentage of the indictments are drug related, be it the
drugs themselves or other crimes related to them such as burglary, assault
and theft," he said. "In a 90-day period the Talladega County Drug and
Violent Crime Task Force has made 70 to 80 drug cases. Other departments
have their own numbers, but I suspect they are pretty similar."

Each day another small victory in the war is earned, but there is no time
for celebrating and no rest for the weary.

"In the end," Mullins said, "we'll keep fighting and keep making cases.
They can carry their guns and make their threats, but the only thing I'll
lose sleep over is trying to figure out how to win."