METH LABS A 'NIGHTMARE'

According to Northwest Drug Task Force members Scott Bixby and Randy
Sondreal methamphetamine labs have become northwest Minnesota's worst
nightmare.

Speaking at a noon meeting of the Crookston Rotary Club Thursday Bixby and
Sondreal said the task force discovered the first meth lab in northwestern
Minnesota four years ago near Fertile. In the past year they've discovered
10 more.

Bixby and Sondreal, both Polk County Deputy Sheriffs, said the drug task
force works in Polk, Pennington, Mahnomen, Marshall and Red Lake Counties.
The force only employs three full-time workers and the men work as a team,
said Bixby. Rural Minnesota is a big draw for meth labs for a number of
reasons, he said.

Anhydrous ammonia is available here and there are many secluded buildings
that work well for clandestine operations. According to Bixby just 10
pounds of methamphetamine is worth $500,000 on the street.

Meth use knows no age or social boundaries, said Sondreal. He said he has
seen children as young as 12 and people old enough to be grandparents
addicted to the drug. He said meth usage in northwestern Minnesota has also
been increasing and most of the meth manufactured in this region stays in
the area.

According to Sondreal there are multiple reasons people begin using meth.
Young girls use it as a diet aid, he said, while others use it to stay
awake. It is so addictive, he said, about 80 percent of meth users go back
to it after they've quit.

Meth is sometimes known as "poor man's cocaine," said Sondreal. It is
similar to cocaine since it's a powder and can also be made into small
rocks. Meth is usually snorted or smoked like cocaine, he said.

At a lab discovered near Lengby, said Bixby, the people manufacturing the
drug were actually putting the powder in their coffee. "They were getting
stoned while drinking their morning cup," he said.

Sondreal said meth labs using anhydrous ammonia have become the most
prevalent in this area and the process involved in making it can be
extremely dangerous. Breathing in anhydrous ammonia also poses a
significant risk and the waste byproduct of meth manufacturing is a sludgy
liquid that is extremely dangerous. Sondreal said it can seep into the
ground, making cleanup costly and difficult. "The sad part is," he said,
"the landowners are responsible for the cleanup, even if they had nothing
to do with the lab."

Each ingredient used for manufacturing meth poses little risk on its own,
said Sondreal, but together they become toxic.

The Task Force distributes flyers to businesses, said Bixby, to increase
awareness of potential producers. Businesses are urged to contact the Task
Force if they see any suspicious activity such as stockpiling ephedrine
products such as Sudafed.