RECORD NUMBER OF METH LABS POP UP IN IOWA

DES MOINES -- The amount of methamphetamine seized in Iowa and the number
of labs raided last year soared to all-time highs -- and narcotics agents
say the pace does not appear to be letting up.

Labs where the highly addictive stimulant is concocted have been found in
rural barns and grain mills as well as urban apartments and junkyards.

"Meth used to be called a poor man's cocaine, but not anymore," said Jerry
Nelson, a special agent with the Iowa Department of Public Safety. People
from all walks of life -- businessmen to the homeless -- have been caught
abusing it.

A drug official said there could be several reasons why Iowans have a large
appetite for the drug.

"The ingredients are reasonably priced, they're readily available," said
Ken Carter, the director of the division of narcotics for the Department of
Public Safety. "And you don't have to be a rocket scientist to make it."

About 85 percent of the drug is imported from Arizona, California and
Mexico, agents said. The remaining 15 percent is made in Iowa -- up from 10
percent just a few years ago.

Of the 764 labs were discovered in Iowa last year, Polk County led the list
with 98. Seventy-three were found in Wapello County and 63 in Black Hawk
County, according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety. Only nine
counties reported finding none.

In just two hours, meth can be made from a ghastly mix of household items,
including drain cleaner, lithium batteries, camping fuel and some
over-the-counter cold medicines.

"All the ingredients that go to make methamphetamine are legal within the
state of Iowa. They all have very legitimate purposes," Carter said.

The kind of meth made in Iowa requires anhydrous ammonia, a fertilizer
commonly used on farm fields. Authorities estimate there could be up to
30,000 tanks of it statewide.

In California, the method commonly used requires top-grade laboratory
glassware, a power source and some chemistry knowledge. It also takes from
eight to 42 hours to make.

But in Iowa, the process is as simple as dumping the ingredients in a jar.

"Just by adding all the chemicals together, it's going to do the
manufacturing process. So they don't need to be somewhere where they need
lights and power," said Rodney Fox, a special agent with the Department of
Public Safety.

The recipe for the meth commonly made in Iowa has been traced to a chemist
in Independence, Mo. Authorities said the large concentration of meth labs
in southeastern Iowa may be due partly to stricter penalties imposed on
meth makers in Missouri.

Iowa ranked 10th in the nation in meth lab seizures from January to
September 2001, according to federal data. The state ranks 30th in terms of
population.

Missouri ranked second in meth labs during the same period, but it was 17th
in population.

"The meth and drug problem is severe in Iowa," said Dave Barton, the
director of the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, which covers
73 counties in six states. The population of Missouri is larger, but per
capita, "Iowa is just as significant a problem as Missouri."

Meth use causes paranoia, violent outbursts and brain damage. It also can
cause skin lesions and rotting gums, and it can be fatal.

"Methamphetamine robs the body of calcium. That's why we find a lot of
people out there that have no teeth or very little teeth," Nelson said.

Meth abusers can develop sores on their body because their skin becomes
oily from taking the drug, he said.

"They start scratching at it and they start hallucinating that they're bugs
or spiders, so they pick at it even more," he said. "It's amazing what
these people go through."

Authorities in Iowa said they have not seen mega-sized labs like those in
California. But they are worried about the "mom-and-pop" operations
blossoming in the state.

"The concerns with our labs are, usually there's a good opportunity for a
manufacturer or a cook to teach or pass on the trade. They usually pass on
the trade to six to 10 other people," Carter said. "So you can see the
spider web network that forms."

The amount of meth seized has also skyrocketed. Iowa authorities
confiscated about 161 pounds of it last year, double what they found in 2000.

"Unfortunately, there was some optimism back in calendar year 2000 that
things might have been progressing downwards," Carter said. "With 2001
coming in, it showed that the methamphetamine situation had not ebbed at all."

A black market for the ingredients has also come to life because of the
increase in manufacturing the drug. Authorities said some stores around the
state alert them to large purchases of meth ingredients.

"There's sort of a specialty arena where people will steal or buy, or
appropriate, the various ingredients that go into it," Carter said.

The number of dump sites is also on the rise, although statewide figures
are unavailable, Fox said.

A chemical sludge left over from meth making, cans of ether and fuel
containers can be found along riverbanks, near playgrounds and sometimes in
urban Dumpsters.

The kind of meth made in Iowa can be manufactured with disposable items
such as plastic jugs, funnels and glass jars.

"That's why we see a huge increase in the dump sites because they don't
want to try and maintain keeping those contaminated items around," Fox said.

In Decatur County, authorities reported finding 240 dumping grounds last year.

"It's a huge environmental impact, and those kind of things hardly ever get
cleaned up," Fox said.