OHIO AUTHORITIES CONTINUE CRACKDOWN IN WAR AGAINST DRUGS

WEST UNION, Ohio - The recent increase in narcotics abuse, particularly in
southern Ohio, has received attention from local authorities within the
last year. The discovery of meth labs has been on the rise in the past few
years in Ohio. Authorities seized 96 meth labs in 2000, 174 in 2001 and 70
this year alone, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency. More than 57
percent of the labs seized in Ohio have been found in Hamilton, Clermont,
Brown, Adams and Highland counties. Methamphetamine, also called "speed" or
"crank," can be eaten, smoked, snorted or injected.

It has become a major drug problem since it can be made easily, is highly
addictive and has great potential for profit. Methamphetamine causes an
intense high and a sense of increased energy, according to the DEA, but
also frequently results in violent behavior. Abuse reportedly causes
paranoia, hallucinations and health problems ranging from tooth loss and
skin sores to serious kidney, lung and brain damage. In Adams County,
authorities have focused time, energy and money into locating meth
producers and bringing them to justice. After taking office in January
2001, Adams County Sheriff Kermit Howard began organizing the Criminal
Investigating Unit as part of his goal to crack down on narcotics
operations within the county.

Howard also acquired evidence collection and surveillance equipment for the
criminal investigators in the department. "(Drug abuse) is a huge problem
in the county," said Adams County Sheriff's CIU Detective Jeff McCarty. One
of the CIU's top priorities has been to aggressively investigate meth cases
constantly, he said. Since the department was within an organizational
stage in 2001, McCarty pointed out the number of cases investigated last
year will be lower compared to the numbers of cases the CIU expects to see
in 2002. In 2001, the CIU investigated 50 meth cases which resulted in 57
arrests and in 2002, the department has investigated 14 meth cases with as
many arrests. In addition, the department has also investigated 83 cases
involving Oxycontin, 66 cases involving marijuana, 14 involving abuse of
other miscellaneous prescription drugs and six cases connected with
cocaine. "We couldn't possibly count the number of hours we've spent
investigating (narcotics)," McCar-ty said. He said many of the meth cases,
in particular, are discovered through word of mouth. "We get a lot of tips
through anonymous calls and letters and even it it's anonymous, we still
investigate," said McCarty. "The number of tips we get has increased
dramatically because (Adams County residents) see we're actually going out
and investigating."