METH LAB NUMBERS INCREASING IN BILLINGS, STATE

Gangs have yet to get a solid foothold in Billings, but more Montanans are
trying their hand at making Mason-jar meth, officials said Monday during a
seminar on crime and violence.

An update on local crime issues was given during a daylong seminar at
MSU-Billings sponsored by the Yellowstone County Safe and Drug-Free Schools
Consortium. About 75 people attended the workshop, which also included
presentations on substance abuse and treatment.

Lee Cornell, regional agent in charge of the Montana Division of Criminal
Investigation, gave a presentation on the growing problem of
methamphetamine in Montana. Most of the dangerously addictive drug, known
on the street as crank or crystal meth, comes from clandestine labs in
Southern California, Cornell said.

But the number of meth labs found here is growing each year, he said. As
the drug becomes more available, those using it are coming from all levels
of society, Cornell said.

"We just bought some the other day from a 12-year-old," he said.

Cornell estimated that Montana law enforcement officials will find between
150 and 200 meth labs this year, up from just a few dozen a few years ago.
The growth is due to several factors, including ready access to the
chemicals to produce the drug and the financial reward for doing so. A $200
investment in chemicals and supplies will make about $6,000 worth of the
drug, he said.

So far, Montana meth cookers are fairly unsophisticated, Cornell said. Most
of the meth here is made in Mason jars instead of the more expensive
laboratory glassware, he said.

The majority of the meth in Montana is still imported, especially from what
Cornell described as the Mexican drug syndicates based in the Southwest.

"I've purchased pound quantities several times in this state, mostly in
Billings," said Cornell, who does undercover drug investigations as a state
agent.

Billings Police Office Jim Gartner, who works at Skyview High School as a
school resource officer, told the group that Billings has yet to see the
problem of youth gangs grow beyond more than a few miscreants.

"I would say right now we probably do have some small problems (with youth
gangs), but I would emphasize small," Gartner said.

While juvenile crime continues to be a problem for law enforcement and the
community, Gartner said, Billings police rarely see the type of hard-core
gang activity that plagues many urban areas. In the mid 1990s, Billings did
experience an influx of gang members mostly from Southern California and
Texas, Gartner said, but "eventually they went away."

Gartner praised a strict dress code at Skyview High School for helping to
discourage teens from emulating the gang lifestyle made popular in pop
culture. Gang colors and attire draw a quick response from school
officials, he said.

"If you're putting your foot down on the small stuff ... they'll be a lot
more reluctant to get things started," he said.

But crime committed by Billings kids continues to keep local cops busy.
Last year, the Police Department tallied 4,382 thefts, a "large amount" of
which can be attributed to teens stealing car stereos and committing
similar property crimes, Gartner said. The 271 auto thefts reported in the
city last year were committed mostly by joy-riding juveniles, he said.