AREA STILL NO. 1 IN METH

Big-Money 'Superlabs' Major Obstacle In Fight Against Drug

The number of methamphetamine labs found in San Bernardino County plummeted
last year, but the region remains the capital of the drug's production for
the nation.

"We've made some dramatic progress from the all-time high a few years ago,
but we still have a huge problem that needs to be dealt with,' said
sheriff's Lt. Lee Hamblin.

The Inland Narcotics Clearing House, a group that assembles methamphetamine
data for a multi-agency task force in the Inland Empire, released the 2002
Hammer Report this month outlining the scope of the drug's effect over the
year.

A total of 186 labs were seized in the county last year 43 percent fewer
than in 2001 and 72 percent below the all-time high of 661 labs found in 1999.

In addition, methamphetamine arrests at labs fell by almost 200 to 384, and
the total of 70 children found at county labs during seizures was 34
percent fewer than in 2001.

But officials say the methamphetamine problem is still critical.

"We had more than 300 incidents last year,' Hamblin said. "That's an
incredibly high number, almost one incident for every day of the year.'

And the trend continues five labs were seized in the county on the first
day of 2003.

No other county in the state had as many labs, dumps and seizures of
chemicals as San Bernardino County last year, according to the report. In
contrast, Riverside County came in second with 213 incidents, and only
three other counties had more than 100.

In fact, the number of labs seized in San Bernardino and Riverside counties
was more than found in all the remaining counties in California combined
and exceeded the amount discovered in any state in the nation except for
Washington and Tennessee.

The statistics in the Hammer Report vary slightly from other tallies
because it contains data from agencies that work with the regional
methamphetamine task force, which includes the San Bernardino County and
Riverside County sheriff's departments.

The group concentrates on the Inland Empire for the Los Angeles High
Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, a task force that is a partnership of the
major federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

Law enforcement experts say the sudden downturn in methamphetamine
statistics reflects new strategies taken to combat the problem.

Those include new state and federal limits on the purchase of equipment and
chemicals used in the manufacture of the drug as well as increased pressure
by law enforcement on drug-producing organizations.

"It's cheaper now to just buy it rather than make it,' said Riverside
County sheriff's Sgt. Rod Crisp, who is with the narcotics clearing house.
"The chemicals and the risk of getting caught are pushing a lot of the
smaller labs out of the picture.'

But that has created another problem for law enforcement. The vast majority
of labs, up to 90 percent, are mom-and-pop operations that create only a
pound or two of the drug at a time. Those are the ones that are
disappearing, Hamblin said.

What hasn't been affected are superlabs run by drug-trafficking
organizations. These labs, authorities say, are operated by Mexican drug
traffickers and produce at least 10 pounds of meth in a 24-hour period.

But the statistics on superlabs tend to be misleading because of the
relatively small number seized, Crisp said. In 2000, 15 superlabs were
found in the county. That number doubled in 2001 but fell to only 10 last year.

Law enforcement officials dealing with the methamphetamine problem say all
the activity they see indicates the larger operations are on the upswing.

"It's the No. 1 thing we are dealing with,' said Michele Leonhart, the
special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Los
Angeles field division. "This is not just a group of people who go out and
cook meth for themselves and their friends. These labs are run by major
Mexican drug-trafficking operations.'

Superlabs make up a minuscule portion of the overall number of labs in the
area, yet they produce the bulk of the drug in circulation.

Law enforcement officials estimate that the 22 such labs found in San
Bernardino and Riverside counties last year had the capacity to produce
more than 17 tons of the drug, worth more than $150 million.

According to the Hammer Report, the superlabs tend to be clustered in
communities along major highways because much of the drug produced is
shipped other places to be sold.

"The problem is that much of the drug made elsewhere is still run through
the area on its way to points east,' Hamblin said.

The reason is simple economics. A pound of methamphetamine can be sold for,
at most, $5,500 in Southern California, according to the report. The same
amount can bring in more than $21,000 on the East Coast.

And with that much at stake, the organizations have become more savvy,
using new tactics. Superlabs are an example.

Superlabs can organize the steps of drug production at different places,
and move into urban areas where they can be less recognizable.

"What we have found is like with all drug enforcement, once law enforcement
becomes successful at a certain technique the traffickers become adept at
avoiding that,' Hamblin said. "The organizations have learned not to put
all their eggs in one basket.'

And the problem has spread. Superlabs are showing up with greater frequency
in other areas of California and in neighboring states. Mexican superlabs
are also becoming more common, Hamblin said.

"The labs south of the border have skyrocketed,' said Ken Bambrick, a
special agent with the state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement. "And we are
seeing more of these labs spread outside of our jurisdiction. This isn't a
problem that is going to go away anytime soon.'