DEADLY CRYSTAL CAUSES CHAOS

Cops Crack Down On Meth Problem

A little off-white "rock" is about to mobilize Calgary cops and the
rest of Alberta's law enforcement in a way never before seen.

And it's all because of a drug known as crystal, crank, tweak,
go-fast, and dozens of other names on the street, but the fact is
methamphetamine is the most potent form of speed available and it's
approaching Calgary with the force and speed of a tidal wave.

"They call it the poor man's cocaine and it will take over this city,"
said drug unit Det. Pat Tetley, a 52-year-old Calgary Police Service
veteran.

"I've been doing this 25 years and have never seen anything like this
. it's the scariest drug I've ever seen, there's not another one
that even compares to this."

The drug is being taken so seriously that Alberta's solicitor general
has made the meth problem a priority and is helping to assemble an
interprovincial drug force that will focus solely on locating and
shutting down the clandestine drug labs that produce the insidious
narcotic.

"We'll take the ideas of what's happening in the States (where crystal
meth is an epidemic in some cities) and what's working well for them,"
Heather Forsyth said.

"We won't be the first, but we'll be one of the best in dealing with
(the meth problem)."

There are several reasons crystal meth has frightened city cops and
other front-line workers.

"It's about 10 times more addictive than crack," Tetley said in a
recent interview.

"For a fraction of the price, they get a longer, more intense high and
if a cocaine addict gets turned into a meth addict, he will become a
sufferer of astronomical proportions."

Cops have actually been gearing up to confront the drug for nearly 10
years after it seemed to take over in the U.S., but it was only
recently they knew Calgary is about to be hit.

The first sign was the increasing use of the drug with low-end hookers
and others who make furtive livings on the dark side of the streets.

"That's one of the very first areas it affects, then it hits
communities like a sledgehammer," Tetley said.

"Five years ago we didn't see much of it on the street, but now we can
go to any high-intensity drug area in Calgary and buy it."

There are several reasons that'll allow meth to take over the illicit
drug trade.

The drug does not have to be imported, hence the local labs and the
cops' determination to take them down.

"The reality is a lab can fit in a shoe box or your trunk," Tetley
said.

The ingredients needed to produce the drug are easily obtainable and
over-the-counter products available at drug, hardware and farm supply
stores.

Meth users can also go as much as three weeks without
sleep.

"They're in such a psychotic state that's what makes them so
unpredictable and dangerous," Tetley said.

Later this month Calgary will be hosting a conference on clandestine
crystal meth labs when more than 400 members of law enforcement from
around the world will meet to discuss strategies to combat the drug.

FAST FACTS

Meth was widely available in the 1960's -- remember 'speed freaks?' But faded
in the 1970s.

In the early '90s, crystal made an amazing comeback and became a hot
new high to a new generation of users.

The life span of an addict is about eight to 10 years, the main
reason old speed freaks aren't around anymore.