STATE LEADS IN PASSING METH LAWS

Chemical Sites Under Surveillance For Years

The use of methamphetamine in South Mississippi may have taken law
enforcement agencies by surprise when it first exploded onto the scene in
the late 1990s, but officials say the state has taken crucial steps in
combating the problem in recent years.

In 1999, Mississippi lawmakers passed legislation that gave authorities a
much-needed weapon to crack down on the drug's proliferation. The measure,
one of the first of its kind in the nation, outlawed the possession of two
or more ingredients, or precursors, required in the manufacture of meth, so
long as the person demonstrated an intent to make the drug.

Before the law, even if someone had "a car trunk full of meth ingredients
and a recipe on the passenger seat," authorities couldn't make an arrest.

Now, however, authorities get tips when precursors are purchased or stolen
and can make pre-emptive strikes before the highly combustible drug can be
cooked.

"It's been an extremely effective tool," said Tim Rutledge, special
operations director of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. "And as the bad
guys have adapted and found new ways to make meth, we've had to add new
measures to the law."

Sunday morning's botched attempt to steal anhydrous ammonia, which
triggered a toxic gas leak and widespread evacuations in Gulfport, may have
slipped beneath police radar. But authorities say they've been monitoring
such chemical sites for years, yielding numerous arrests.

In addition, many police agencies in South Mississippi conduct regular
seminars that are open to local businesses and residents and offer
instruction on how to protect themselves from meth-related thefts.

Those sessions have raised the awareness in the community, bolstering law
enforcement's efforts to keep a close watch on local stores or other sites
where precursors are available.

"People now know what to look for," said Dwayne Brewer, resident agent in
charge of the bureau's Gulfport district office.

On Saturday, residents phoned in a tip to police that two "suspicious
persons" were at a U.S. 90 business in Gulfport which harbored a tank of
anhydrous ammonia, a gas used in meth's manufacture. That led to the arrest
of two Alabama men, whom police charged with attempted theft of the chemical.

Still, meth arrests have not shown any signs of decline.

Authorities are pushing for more legislation, including a measure that
would ensure autopsies are performed on anyone who dies of a drug overdose.

"That would help us stay on top of the current drug trends," Rutledge said.
"And if someone died from a bad batch of meth, we could find out where it
came from and get to the source before anyone else was killed."