MORE METH LABS GET DISMANTLED

Increased Usage Reported Locally

Meth Labs Dismantled

A look at the top 10 counties with the most meth labs dismantled by the
Indiana State Police in 2002:

Vigo 65
Sullivan 59
Knox 44
Gibson 41
Greene 40
Pike 23
Bartholomew 19
Daviess 19
Marion 18
Tippecanoe 18

A look at the number of meth labs dismantled by the Indiana State Police in
South Bend-area counties in 2002:

Indiana State Police dismantled 732 methamphetamine labs in 2002 -- a 34
percent increase compared with the 546 labs dismantled in 2001.

Figures show South Bend-area counties had far fewer labs dismantled.

More reports from the public and heightened diligence by authorities fueled
the rise, said 1st Sgt. David Bursten of the Indiana State Police.

"We're becoming more aware of the signs of meth labs, and the public is
getting more educated about the drug and the phenomena of it," Bursten said.

Vigo County in west-central Indiana topped the list of counties with the
most labs with 65, followed by Sullivan County with 59 labs and Knox County
with 44.

In the area, three meth labs were dismantled last year in Marshall County,
according to Marshall County Sheriff Bob Ruff.

However, he said the Multi-County Drug Task Force dismantled 19 total meth
labs, including seven in Fulton County, six in Pulaski County and two in
Starke County.

St. Joseph County was at the bottom of the list along with about a dozen
other counties, each with just one lab dismantling recorded by the state
police.

The numbers provided by state police do not include meth labs dismantled by
local authorities, but Sgt. Jim Walsh of the Metro Special Operations
Section said there was a total of only two or three meth labs or partial
labs found in St. Joseph County last year.

He said the total for 2001 was about the same.

"It's been pretty consistent with us," Walsh said, but added that the
popularity of the drug locally is on the rise.

Meth is a potent stimulant that can be injected, smoked or inhaled. It is
commonly made with household chemicals and the fertilizer anhydrous
ammonium. It produces an intense high that can last for several hours.

"The high from meth lasts longer than the high from cocaine would," Walsh said.

He added, "It can be made domestically. You don't have the problem of
smuggling it into the country."

State police reported dismantling six meth labs in Elkhart County in 2002,
but as in St. Joseph County, it's the increased usage police there noted as
the bigger issue lately.

"It seems to be the drug of choice," said Assistant Chief Larry Kasa of the
Elkhart Police Department.

In November, the Elkhart County Drug Task Force arrested an Elkhart man
after police allegedly found 24 pounds of meth in his car, an amount having
an estimated street value of $1.1 million.

It is believed to be the biggest drug bust in the county's history.

More recently, Elkhart police found 422 grams of suspected meth while
investigating a homicide Wednesday on Arcade Avenue. As a result, a man
from Fairland, Ind., has been charged with possession of methamphetamine
with intent to deliver.

"It's coming in so cheap, people aren't risking making it," said Elkhart
County Police Capt. John Perry. "Meth is a huge problem, but it's not being
cooked here locally."

Knox County Sheriff Stephen Luce said he is pleased with the progress, but
not that the problem persists.

"We're going to go after these people, and it's going to be continuing
through education and aggressive law enforcement," Luce said. Meth cooks
are "going to have to look over their shoulder because it's going to be a
nonstop fight for us."

In Gibson County, where 41 labs were dismantled last year, Sheriff Allen
Harmon said the labs have been found "anywhere you can imagine. We've found
them everywhere from the trunk of a car, abandoned buildings to backpacks."

Residents who smell ether or anhydrous ammonia or see someone with a large
quantity of cold tablets, lithium batteries or starter fluid -- all used to
make the drug -- are encouraged to call police.