BUSTS OF METH LABS ON THE RISE

Methamphetamine lab busts are up so far this year in Nevada County, a
countywide narcotics task force reports.

If current trends continue, 2003 could be on track to set a record for the
number of meth labs uncovered by Nevada County investigators.

The Sheriff's Narcotics Task Force has uncovered seven meth labs so far
this year. Last year, 13 labs were found, and 14 were found in 2001.

In 1998, authorities reported zero labs in Nevada County.

Sheriff Keith Royal said he couldn't say if meth problems were becoming
worse, based on the number of labs.

People could be more attuned to the problem and more apt to report strange
odors and other signs of the labs, Royal said, which could account for more
busts.

"Because of greater public awareness, we have more concerned citizens
calling us," Royal said.

Jim Casci, a task force investigator, said information on making meth is
readily available. Anyone can manufacture meth from everyday chemicals, he
said.

"A lot of people are just trying to make enough to support their own habit,
plus a little on the side," Casci said.

Even small labs can be dangerous, cooking up a toxic soup that is dumped
somewhere else or into the ground.

Most of the labs are in isolated areas. But they can also be set up in the
middle of a city - as one recent bust on Walker Drive in Grass Valley
illustrated.

Local manufacturers of the illicit drug are facing foreign competition. One
trend noted by the task force is the appearance of more meth in Nevada
County from "Mexican mafia" labs.

The giant labs crank out huge quantities of meth in the Central Valley,
using Mexican access to purchase the highly regulated chemicals on the
cheap. Large-scale manufacturing and cheaper chemicals equal cheaper meth
in Nevada County, which is undercutting local production.

Dealers can buy cheap meth down in Yuba County and sell it up here for a
profit, authorities said.

The most recent major lab bust in Nevada County was in Wildwood Heights in
January. Though there was no apparent connection to Mexican drug rings, it
was a larger-scale operation than seen at labs where addicts cook meth
mostly for themselves. Investigators found as much as four ounces of meth
at the site and enough glassware to make 20 pounds of meth at a time.