MEETING LOOKS AT METH LABS

The bad news is there is no good news about clandestine
methamphetamine labs. That was the message at a public meeting in
Boone Tuesday. Attorney General Roy Cooper, SBI Director Robin
Prendergraft and field agents told the 100-plus people assembled at
Fairfield Inn that their resources are overwhelmed and the laws on the
books are inadequate to deal with an explosive increase in the number
of meth labs in North Carolina. That is especially true in Watauga
County, where 24 of the 116 labs found in the state this year have
been uncovered-over 20 percent of the state total.

The situation is also serious in Ashe County, where 11 labs have been
busted since the first one was discovered in April 2002. "We're
experiencing maybe not as much as Watauga, but meth labs are a serious
problem," said Sheriff Jim Hartley in an interview after the meeting.
"Making methamphetamine is much more dangerous than any other drug,
including cocaine and crack," he said. "It is a hazard to anyone
around it." SBI Agent Van Shaw, who heads a team handling meth lab
cases out of Charlotte gave a presentation on the subject.

He described a home where a meth lab was found in Watauga County. The
suspects had dumped large quantities of trash that resulted from meth
production in their back yard-along with a mound of dirty diapers
three feet high. Inside the home, there were three young children.

Shaw showed pictures of hazardous chemicals left in soft drink bottles
and other containers in the kitchen, well within reach of children.

A representative of the Watauga County Department of Social Services
said his agency had, between Jan. 1 and May 31 this year, removed 15
children from homes where meth labs were operating. Children are an
issue, in part because the average methamphetamine user is middle
aged. "The average age is between 29 and 39, and slightly more women
than men use the drug," he said. Cleaning up a meth lab is dangerous
and expensive.

Shaw showed pictures of agents wearing heavy protective gear, which he
said was intended for use with chemical weapons.

Some meth lab operators use kitty litter to filter poisonous byproduct
gases-including phosgene gas-from the air. "They put the kitty litter
in plastic bags and some of them throw them in a corner," Shaw said.
"They call them 'Death Bags,' and hope someone in law enforcement,
searching their premises, will break open a bag and get a good dose of
the gas. That could sicken, send to the hospital or kill a person."

The average cost of cleaning up a lab-which does not include the area
outside where the lab is located-is between $4,000 and $10,000. Though
the state is committing more resources to the fight against meth labs,
law enforcement officials and their support staff appear overwhelmed.

Assistant District Attorney Byrd told the audience they had received,
two weeks ago, state crime lab results on a meth lab seized in
December. "That is how far behind they are," he said. "That makes it
difficult to prosecute cases." Cooper, Shaw and others agreed the
present laws covering methamphetamine production are inadequate. "The
penalties are the same as for growing marijuana," Shaw said. "That
means, for first offenders, they will likely not serve jail time."

Cooper urged the legislature to pass tougher laws. In October, law
enforcement officials from North Carolina, Tennesse and Virginia will
hold a summit on meth labs in Winston-Salem. The goal is to coordinate
eradication efforts and build intelligence networks to help fight the
spread of methamphetamine. ement to deal with the ugly symptoms of a
national sickness.

And sickness it is.