KANAWHA VALLEY SEES INCREASE IN DRUG LAB BUSTS

In the past six months, the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department has found
five methamphetamine labs, the Kanawha County Metro Drug Unit has found
five and the Putnam County Narcotics Unit has found four.

But officials say the number of methamphetamine labs in the Kanawha Valley
still pales in comparison to the number of labs that have been uncovered in
Wood County.

Authorities said the Kanawha Valley might see more labs as the drug
producers leave Wood County because of increased enforcement efforts in
that area.

"Wood County has been seeing this problem for quite sometime," said
Detective Don Herdman of the Putnam County Narcotics Unit.

"It's just natural that it comes to this area (the Kanawha Valley) because
of the population. They kept saying it was going to be coming, and it
certainly has," he said.

During the past six months, the Putnam County Narcotics Unit has discovered
three methamphetamine labs and one mobile methadone lab that was set up in
a car, Herdman said.

Methamphetamine, also known as crank, crystal, ice, meth and speed, is a
stimulant. It can be produced in labs that produce dangerous fumes and can
spark lethal explosions. The labs to manufacture the drug are considered
simple to set up.

Methamphetamines are inexpensive to make. The process requires chemicals
that can be bought over the counter. Recipes for manufacturing
methamphetamines are available on the Internet.

One of the advantages to the drug, from an abuse standpoint, is that it
lasts so much longer than other stimulants, such as cocaine.

"On cocaine, you can stay up all night," Herdman said. "On meth, you can
stay up for days."

Herdman said the drug is lucrative for those who produce it because with a
small investment in the volatile ingredients, such as red phosphorous and
ephedrine, the maker can earn a lot of money.

Methamphetamines sell for between $100 and $120 a gram, he said. The drug
is smoked, snorted and injected.

Even when the Putnam County Narcotics Unit busts a lab, the officers aren't
recovering a lot of finished product, Herdman said.

"I think the people are wanting so much, we're not seeing a lot of it," he
said.

Sgt. Joe Savilla of the Kanawha County Metro Drug Unit said methamphetamine
abuse in Kanawha County is getting worse "without a doubt."

Savilla said the trend toward manufacturing the stimulant in the area might
be related to increased border security after September's terrorist attacks.

"Because security is tightening around the borders and the seaports, it's
easier to produce it than to import it," he said.

Cpl. Tony Payne of the Metro Drug Unit said all the labs that the unit has
discovered have been small and unable to produce large amounts of
methamphetamines.

"But they are still dangerous," he said.

Payne said the methamphetamines manufactured in the small labs only account
for between 10 percent to 15 percent of the meth on the streets. The rest
is being shipped in, he said.

Methamphetamine producers do seem to move.

From Parkersburg and Wood County -- where law enforcement officials have
been uncovering about one methamphetamine lab a week -- the problems have
been moving south into other areas of West Virginia and also spreading
across the border to Ohio.

Chief Deputy Larry Mincks of the Washington County Sheriff's Department in
Ohio said the Parkersburg Task Force busted 17 methamphetamine labs this
year. In comparison, Mincks said his department has found two.

"But those are our first two for two or three years," Mincks said.

He said he doesn't know whether the two meth labs found in Washington
County are an indication of the problem spreading to Ohio.

"It could be because of enforcement in Wood County or because they were
able to get the chemicals without detection," he said.

Phone calls to the Parkersburg Task Force were not immediately returned.
Sgt. Jess Bailes of the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department agreed that
it's difficult to assess whether or not the labs are a growing problem that
could be making its way south from Wood County.

The Kanawha County Sheriff's Department has busted five methampetamine labs
since the beginning of the year, including one on Tuesday.

"I think it is a dominant problem within the county," Bailes said. "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.

"Criminals are opportunists. Every time you step up enforcement . . . they
are going to go where they can practice their trade."