DANGERS OF METH SPREADING IN W.VA.

Methamphetamine is becoming the drug of choice for West Virginia users.
Officials said the state's problem started in Wood County, where a federal
task force devotes much of its time to driving the deadly drug out of the area.

The danger of methamphetamine was the topic of discussion Wednesday at a
conference held at West Virginia State Police headquarters in Charleston.
The purpose of the conference was to alert the public of a problem that
some officials say is beginning to look more like an epidemic. Meth is a
drug made from household chemicals and is cooked in crude labs that often
are volatile. The drug also is called crank, speed and crystal meth.

U.S. Attorney Kasey Warner of the southern district said meth labs are
cropping up all over the state these days. In addition to Wood County, labs
have been found in Kanawha, Putnam, Wirt and Roane counties.

But Wood County was first in the state to report the presence of meth.

And the county that had the first labs still has the most, officials said.

Law enforcement agencies in West Virginia have dismantled more than 100
labs this year. More than half of those labs were found in Wood County,
officials said.

Fortunately, there is a group dedicated to eliminating meth in Wood and the
surrounding counties, Warner said.

Warner said the Parkersburg Violent Crimes and Narcotics Task Force has
been instrumental in combating the meth culture in Wood County and other
areas of the state.

"That's a first class task force," Warner said. "I sometimes think the
Parkersburg area doesn't know how good they are. I can't say enough about
them."

Randy Coleman of the state department of Military Affairs and Public Safety
said the PNTF is deserving of all praise it is given.

"We certainly are proud of them around here," said Parkersburg Police Chief
Robert Newell. "They do a good job."

The task force was immersed in the meth problem from the beginning.
Therefore, it was able to develop expertise over the years on how to
investigate and dismantle drug labs, Warner said.

"As far as I'm concerned, we're one of the best ones in the state," said
Wood County Sheriff Stephen Greiner. "Our unit has done a tremendous job.
They've stayed on top of it."

As meth cookers began to spread from Wood County to other parts of West
Virginia, officials tried to figure out why they were leaving the
Parkersburg area.

Warner said officials soon realized it was because the PNTF made the lives
of meth cookers too difficult.

"The meth problem is growing in the state, but Parkersburg has put a cap on
it," Warner said.

Though the presences of meth still is strong in Wood County, task force
agents said the second half of 2002 saw fewer labs. The PNTF busted 56 labs
this year, said state Trooper First Class R.S. Hull of the task force.

Hull said labs are becoming more primitive due to the ironclad enforcement
of the PNTF.

Vienna Police Chief Gary Deem said the PNTF's training is put to good use.

As a group of officers from several agencies, they do what one agency alone
could not, he said.

"Their achievements speak for themselves," Deem said. "They've had
extensive training and they put that training to really good use. This area
is very fortunate we have the trained personnel we do have."

Sheriff's Capt. Rick Woodyard, lead PNTF agent, said he attributes the task
force's success to the quality of the officers who serve on it. He also
said the battle against meth in the area could not effectively be waged
without the help of all area law enforcement agencies.

"Really, it's a combined effort," Woodyard said. "I just think it's the
quality of the officers assigned to the unit and the quality of the
officers that assist. It's a reflection of the cooperation of every law
enforcement agency in the county."

Woodyard said the meth problem must be addressed by the community as a
whole. Law enforcement officials need the help of every citizen. Tips they
provide are crucial in combating meth, he said.

Today, the PNTF is emulated by other task forces in the state and across
the country, Warner said. Their reputation is known as far away as Kansas,
he said.

The task force is composed of officers from area law enforcement agencies,
including the Wood County Sheriff's Office, the Parkersburg Police
Department and the Vienna Police Department.

Officers from the Williamstown Police Department also commit time and
effort, Greiner said. Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the
Internal Revenue Service participate in task force operations.