METH MAKES MARK IN MARSHALL COUNTY

It's the No. 1 narcotic problem in Marshall County and North Alabama, and
it's expected to get worse before it gets better.

Crystal methamphetamine has infiltrated the community in ways never seen
before by members of law enforcement, who are fighting an uphill battle
against those who use and sell the "super stimulant."

Rob Savage, director of the Marshall County Drug Enforcement Unit, shared
this and more information with members of the Boaz Rotary Club Wednesday
during their regular meeting at the Snead State Community College cafeteria.

Savage said the drug, which is both imported and made in not only Marshall
County but also most of North Alabama, is being seen in "unprecedented
numbers." He said 82 percent of all drug cases in Marshall County are
related to crystal methamphetamine.

The Super Stimulant

Crystal methamphetamine is a processed narcotic which makes it unique from
drugs such as cocaine and marijuana, both of which are organic substances.
It is a highly-addictive drug which takes hold of users at a rapid rate.

"Junkies tell me that unlike a $20 crack rock that will get them high for
about 45 minutes to an hour followed by cravings within about an hour of
their high wearing off, a $20 rock of crystal meth will get them high for
about four to six hours, but they start having cravings before the high
wears off," he said.

Savage said the drug, which is most often seen in two forms - rock and
powder - and numerous colors such as brown, white, pink and yellow, can be
smoked, snorted, sublingually ingested or, as has become common in about 50
percent of the DEU's cases, injected intravenously. The drug has numerous
street names which include crank, super-up and powder.

Savage said six months into a habit, a "typical junkie" will be spending
$200 a day which will usually buy about 2 grams of product. Within three
months, Savage said that same junkie will have a $400-a-day habit.

More often than not, Savage said meth addicts support their habit by
burglarizing homes, businesses and cars. Savage pointed out that
Christopher David Allen, 28, of 24 Laser Drive, Boaz, who fled from Boaz
Police on two occasions this week and is someone who, Savage said, has been
known to the DEU for quite some time, has an alleged $300-a-day addiction
which he allegedly supports by committing burglaries.

"He is a suspect in more than 100 burglaries in Marshall and surrounding
counties," Savage said.

Firearm Concerns

To the meeting Savage brought with him the equipment he uses in his job
which includes a Heckler & Kotch .45-caliber UNP pistol, a machine gun, gas
mask and other tactical equipment, all of which weighs 32 pounds. He said
some have questioned the need for DEU agents to have such equipment - a
question he said he understands.

However, Savage said the equipment - namely the firepower - is necessary
due to the fact that in about 80 percent of meth cases they, while
executing search warrants, confiscate high-powered weapons such as assault
rifles, submachine guns, and automatic and revolver pistols.

"All of those weapons will shoot through a vest. We counter that by
bringing equal or better firepower to the scene. Psychologically we intend
to impact the bad guy in such a way that he doesn't want to resist," he said.

Not only is the Drug Unit seeing more and more suspects in meth cases who
are heavily armed, and oftentimes experiencing "ultra paranoia," but Savage
said it's become very common to find suspects carrying concealed weapons on
their person, as was the case Feb. 25 when they executed a search warrant
at a Boaz residence when the suspect fought with the agents in attempt to
keep them from taking his gun.

"We spent two minutes trying to get the gun from the guy we arrested in the
Boaz raid," Savage said.

In addition, agents are finding that suspects, most often those who are
either on probation or out of jail on bond, are installing surveillance
cameras on their property which they guard sometimes for hours at a time
with loaded weapons.

Staggering Statistics

Agents are working to not only stop the use and sale of meth in Marshall
County but also its manufacture. Since the beginning of 2002, the DEU has
raided seven methamphetamine labs. For 2001, the DEU raided a total of 26
labs. Savage expects they will this year get 50 to 60 of the estimated 100
labs in Marshall County.

Savage said an average lab only produces about 1-2 ounces of product in a
single "cook." He said that amount of product is worth about $3,000 and can
be made using about $300 worth of chemicals which are often bought or
stolen from hardware and drug stores. The instructions to make the drug are
most often found on the Internet as evidenced by the Unit discovering
Internet recipes at the last three labs they've raided.

Although most labs found in Marshall County only produce a small amount of
product, Savage said that fact doesn't make them any less dangerous.

"The chemicals used to make crystal meth are highly volatile and produce
very noxious fumes. We happened upon an active cook at a lab Monday in
Willow Terrace Trailer Park. The fumes were so bad we had to back out and
put on firemen's air packs just to be able to clear the trailer. One
spark-or if we would've had to discharge our weapons - would've produced an
ugly site. The inside of the trailer would have become the outside," he said.

Social Impact

Crystal meth is a drug which is believed to have made its way into the
United States from Mexico. Savage said it's entirely possible there's a
direct correlation between the increased usage of crystal meth in Marshall
County and the increased Hispanic population. He said it's been his
experience that the suspects who've been found to be holding the largest
amount of crystal meth are most often Hispanic traffickers, persons who're
often near the top of the chain of command in the drug trade.

"When we learn of a person who's been found to be carrying a half a pound
to a pound of crystal meth, we can likely say that person is in middle to
upper level management," Savage said.

Although crystal meth is making its way into the U.S. from Mexico, Savage
said it is mainly a "white person's drug." Furthermore, Savage said the
drug touches all aspects of white society.

He said males and females are arrested at about the same rate, and children
as young as 15 have been arrested for trafficking and as young as 13 for
possession. Savage has seen persons as old as 55 taken into custody on
charges related to crystal meth as well as persons from various careers.

"It runs the gamut. We've arrested professionals, physicians and attorneys,
and we've even arrested police officers," he said.

Persons who take the drug exhibit classic signs of severe stimulant usage,
such as agitation, restlessness, weight loss, insomnia and talking fast.
However, Savage said crystal meth users who smoke the drug can also be
recognized by another tell-tale sign - burns on their face and hands.
Savage said an acid used to make meth burns users' skin leaving behind open
sores resembling cigarette burns.

Savage and the five agents assigned to the Marshall County DEU make up the
task force in charge of handling all drug cases in the county. Many of the
agents are trained in multiple tasks such as K-9 training, use of the DEU's
two helicopters and other special operations.

The Marshall County DEU, which has been in existence for 12 years, is the
longest running multi-district drug task force in Alabama, Savage said. The
Unit operates on an annual budget of $500,000 which is funded through ADECA
(Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs) and the six cities
in the county. The unit also benefits from cash seizures which can be
directly linked to illegal narcotics.

On average, Savage said the unit makes 500 felony arrests annually, which
he said for a county with a population of about 90,000 is a "huge number."
The unit has a 97 percent conviction rate which is mostly made up of plea
bargains. Savage said most cases are pleaded out because of the substantial
backlog in the court system.

"I have subpoenas on a case for next Monday on a 1999 case," Savage said.

He did point out that when they do accept pleas it is always to another felony.

"We are not downsizing to a misdemeanor," Savage said.

As a means of doing their job, the unit sometimes uses paid informants whom
Savage said make up a "very small part" of their work. Rather than pay
informants, for which few funds are available, Savage said they often trade
cases, meaning charges are reduced for a suspect who is willing to inform
on someone who is a bigger player.

In addition, Savage said businesses can play a role in helping fight the
battle against crystal meth.

He said not too long ago, an alert employee at a local business noticed a
customer purchased on three consecutive Tuesdays Coleman fuel and Red Devil
Lye - two products commonly used to manufacture crystal meth. The employee
got the customer's vehicle tag number and called it into the DEU.

Savage said agents responding to the address listed on the vehicle
registration, upon arrival, immediately smelled fumes associated with the
manufacture of the drug. After receiving consent to search the property,
agents discovered behind the home an recreational vehicles (RV) from which
was coming a strong smell.

Savage said as agents approached the vehicle, a suspect, wearing nothing
but tennis shoes and gym shorts, came running from the RV. The agents
proceeded to search the vehicle where they discovered a complete meth lab.

"That turned out to be one of the biggest labs every discovered in Alabama.
And we found it because someone was paying attention," Savage said.