LAWMEN STEP UP TRAINING TO BATTLE METH LABS

The proliferation of meth labs on the South Plains has reached epidemic
proportions, causing local law enforcement to invest in advanced training
for officers fighting the scourge on a daily basis.

In the past three months, members of the South Plains Regional Narcotics
Task Force and narcotics investigators from the Sheriff's Office have
attended specialized narcotics courses in Austin and Kilgore.

Narcotics investigators spend much of their time decommissioning meth labs
and seizing quantities of meth that seem to grow larger and larger with
each bust.

Task force investigator Cpl. Pachall said, "Two years ago, the task force
had not had a clandestine lab (bust). We (now) get three and four (busts) a
week."

Pachall would not reveal his first name, which he uses in undercover
operations.

Sheriff's deputies made three seizures this month alone that yielded more
than a pound of meth in each incident.

The most recent one was the seizure of 1.4 pounds of meth from a house in
southwest Lubbock County late Wednesday night that yielded five arrests.

The meth, which was packed and ready to hit the streets, had a potential
street value of $50,000, sheriff's Chief Deputy Paul Scarborough said.

The proliferation of clandestine meth operations can be traced to a single
source - the Internet, Pachall said.

"It's all stuff found on the Internet," he said.

In addition, information on quicker methods to cook meth have found their
way onto the Web.

"It used to be a three-day process," Pachall said. "It's now three hours tops."

Of greater concern to investigators is the list of toxic and explosive
substances that are the ingredients in methamphetamine, he said.

Ether, anhydrous ammonia and lithium are all highly volatile. Red
phosphorus, anhydrous ammonia and muriatic acid can scar the lungs if
inhaled, he said.

Also, meth manufacturers tend to sample their wares, which causes them to
become very paranoid and unpredictable, Pachall said.

He cited the example of a bust in San Angelo where agents got in a shootout
with the manufacturers.

"Because of the high level of ether, they could all have been hurt," he said.

In other words, busting meth operations can pose much higher risks than an
average drug operation, and investigators in the area need the latest
drug-fighting tools and techniques to deal with the growing problem.

Three weeks ago, three members of the South Plains Regional Narcotics Task
Force went to Austin to take a weeklong course at the Department of Public
Safety academy on how to take down clandestine meth labs, Pachall said.

A mixture of classroom and hands-on training, the course trains
investigators on methods to make lab busts safer, he said.

After taking the class, graduates are given specialized equipment, such as
a chemical-resistant suit, an air pack and tools to measure the
concentration of gases in the air.

State money pays for the equipment given to school graduates, Pachall said.

Because the course is so popular with law enforcement agencies statewide,
the equipment can't be made fast enough.

Investigators here still are waiting on some of their equipment, Pachall said.

"When most of the classes come open, they get full quick," he said. "We've
been trying to get in for over a year."

Scarborough sent several of his investigators to the Drug Enforcement
Administration Basic Narcotics School in Kilgore.

Meth ingredients are "so volatile," he said. "There's only a few (agencies)
in this region qualified" to clean up the hazardous materials afterward.

"Right now, we have to call in DEA" to help out with large seizures, he said.

The closest companies licensed by the DEA to clean up meth labs are in
Oklahoma City and Albuquerque, N.M., Pachall said.

Police Chief Claude Jones said a modern meth lab fits in the trunk of a
car, which allows the manufacturer to cook his drugs almost anywhere.

"They can pretty much make it in the vehicle," he said. "They can even keep
the vehicle rolling down the street" as they manufacture the drugs.

"Some of these labs can be dangerous," he said. "We have to make sure our
officers are safe."

Because labs can pop up anywhere, citizens need to be on the lookout for
suspicious activity, Pachall said.

The easiest way to detect a clandestine lab is to sniff it out, he said.

"A strong chemical odor is a good indicator," he said.

Manufacturers must buy a lot of over-the-counter medication containing
ephedrine and cans of starter fluid to extract the ether. If a neighbor is
throwing away excessive amounts of these items' packaging, that also could
be a warning sign, he said.

While on vacation, people should be careful about the hotels they stay at,
he said.

Evidence of drug activity may mean someone next door could be cooking up a
batch of meth with explosive results, Pachall said.