OFFICIALS: CRACKDOWN HAS SHIFTED METH PROBLEMS

The heat brought down by the Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force could be too
much for Wood County methamphetamine dealers.

Officials in Kanawha and Putnam counties said an increase in meth in their
area may be related to the PNTF's Wood County crackdown. In the past six
months, the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department has found five meth labs,
the Kanawha County Metro Drug Unit has found five and the Putnam County
Narcotics Unit has found four, officials said.

"Wood County has been seeing this problem for quite sometime," said Det.
Don Herdman of the Putnam County Narcotics Unit. "It's just natural that it
comes to this area because of the population. They kept saying it was going
to be coming, and it certainly has."

PNTF Capt. Rick Woodyard said he hopes meth cookers in the area feel the
need to relocate.

"I don't think we're trying to drive them anywhere else, but we actively
and relentlessly pursue those who manufacture meth," he said. "We consider
it a serious problem and a serious health risk to not only individuals who
are cooking the drug, but more particularly to the individuals who are in
adjacent apartments or locations where the cooking is being done."

Sgt. Jess Bailes of the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department said there may
be a number of reasons more labs have been found in counties other than
Wood. He said one explanation may be increased awareness and pursuit of the
drug on the part of law enforcement.

"We've discovered more (labs) since July of last year than in the past four
or five years, but we have stepped up our enforcement efforts," Bailes said.

Woodyard said the PNTF is responsible for training more than 3,000 officers
in matters of meth.

"They (officers) are starting to find more labs because they're recognizing
them for what they are," Woodyard said. "A lot of officers in the past were
just walking past them without realizing what they were."

Geographic expansion is a character trait of the meth subculture, Woodyard
said.

"There are a lot of factors involved in an increase in your area," he said.
"The trend is it has to start somewhere. Inevitably, it's going to expand out."

Just as meth came to West Virginia, specifically Wood County, from
California and other locations on the West Coast, the migration of drug
from Wood County to other areas in the state is possible.

"Anything in the world is possible," Woodyard said. "If that's what's
happening, then that's what's happening. I hope we are pursing them to the
point where they feel they need to relocate."

Criminals are opportunists, Bailes said. Every time authorities step up
enforcement, drug manufacturers will move to other locations where they can
practice their trade with less fear of discovery.

Meth distribution also has increased in Washington County, Ohio, said Chief
Deputy Larry Mincks of the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

Two labs have been found this year in Washington County compared to none in
the past two or three years, he said.

Woodyard said the dangers of meth are great. Not only is the drug itself
deadly, but the subculture surrounding it is one of violence.

"The national trend is that meth is a product of increased violence,"
Woodyard said. "Therefore, we actively pursue those who manufacture meth to
make sure the level of violence does not increase."

The PNTF has busted more than 20 labs this year, Woodyard said. The task
force is comprised of members of several area law enforcement agencies.