WOODYARD HAILS NARCOTICS TASK FORCE AT ROTARY

Numerous busts against local methamphetamine labs have been the result
of greater vigilance and proactive law enforcement, a member of the
Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force said Monday.

Police have thwarted 92 labs since 1998, about 50 of those since
January, making the area one of the most active in the state, said
Capt. Rick Woodyard. He suspects there's at least as many more
operating here. "It's not going to go away," said Woodyard, speaker
at Monday's meeting of the Parkersburg Rotary Club.

Methamphetamine, a super-stimulant, can be produced in make-shift
laboratories with a minimum investment and chemicals readily available
in stores. The narcotic is incredibly addictive and so potent, a user
can remain awake around the clock for two weeks, Woodyard said.

Local agencies began seeing the problem around 1998 when probation
officers, unaware of what methamphetamine was, noticed those who broke
the terms of their release tested for the drug, Woodyard said. They
brought it to the attention of police, he said.

"Then we started finding meth labs," he said.

The community has paid a price for the illegal activity, Woodyard
said. Violent crime, including murder, shoplifting and property crimes
have increased and have been connected to the drug, Woodyard said.

The first few finds and arrests involved shipments from California
through the U.S. Postal Service or brought here in person by the
crooks, Woodyard said. Several people from the area went to
California, learned how it was made, then returned to Parkersburg, he
said.

Economics also played a role in the labs, he said. A gram of cocaine
is about $100, costing a user $200 to $300 a day to feed the habit,
Woodyard said.

A large supply of methamphetamine can be produced in a homemade lab
for less money and with much less knowledge of chemistry than it takes
to make cocaine, he said.

Most labs produce for self-consumption or sale to other addicts to
support the operation, said Woodyard, adding none is made here for
shipment elsewhere.

People are asked to report suspicious things to police, he
said.

The chemicals used in the process are tell-tale signs of a lab in
operation, Woodyard said. Ingredients include pseudoephedrine, lighter
fluid, naphtha, acids, alcohol and iodine, he said.

Stores are valuable sources of information, Woodyard said. When
someone comes to the counter with gallons of iodine or dozens of
decongestant packages, it's a good indication they're operating a lab
and don't have a cold, he said.

Stores have been asked to cooperate by limiting sales of such items
and informing police of suspicious purchases, Woodyard said.

Other indicators are physical, such as chemical stains from the
process around the house, chemical burns on body and clothing,
iodine-stained hands or jars covered with duct tape, Woodyard said.
Labs have a noticeable smell of acid or ammonia, he said.

Thousands of pseudoephedrine blister packs will be around, Woodyard
said. It takes about 1,000 pills to make an ounce of product, and
someone has to take the time to open the containers, he said.

"Of course they're already up 24 hours a day, seven days a week,"
Woodyard said.

Drug recipes, chemistry books, propane tanks, Thermoses, sodium
hydroxide and muriatic acid also are indicators, he said.

"All police officers are trained to recognize these things," he
said.

Operations are extremely dangerous because of the toxicity and
volatility of the chemicals, Woodyard said. Explosions can occur,
which is why raids are accompanied by a response team from
Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital and the Division of Environmental
Protection, he said. There is no common profile of a producer and
user, Woodyard said. Nationally, they are as diversity as the
community, but locally they are in their 20s and 30s and labs
generally involve about a half dozen people, he said.

The task force is prosecuting violators on the federal charges because
of the enhanced penalties, Woodyard said. A person convicted of
manufacturing faces 1-3 from the state, but four years on the federal
level, he said.

If a gun is involved, the convict gets another five years served after
the drug sentence, Woodyard said.