METH LABS STRAINING CBI BUDGET

Number Shut Down Soars From 31 In 1998 To 264 Last Year; Agency Seeks
Ok For New Investigator

An explosion in the number of illegal meth labs around the state is
overwhelming the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

There were 31 labs shut down in 1998. That number soared to 150 in
1999, jumped to 264 last year and is expected to increase
"significantly" this year when the final numbers are in, CBI Deputy
Director Pete Mang told lawmakers Monday.

"It's a problem facing all law enforcement agencies in the state,"
said Mang, who added that the labs are cheap to set up and the
ingredients can be bought anywhere. "It has become a huge, huge
problem."

The problem is so extensive that the CBI, despite a budget crunch, is
asking for an additional criminal investigator to focus on analyzing
materials taken out of the illegal labs to help prosecute cases.

The volume of methamphetamine cases has caused a 44 percent increase
in the turnaround time for the CBI labs to complete other work, such
as studying gunshot residue or testing arson debris.

The problem is not confined to the Denver area, Mang said; CBI labs
in Montrose and Pueblo are just as busy.

"It's easy to make -- a lot of the (ingredients), like paint thinner,
can be purchased over the counter," Mang said. "And it's explosive,
not to mention carcinogenic. It creates all sorts of problems for law
enforcement."

Rep. Brad Young, R-Lamar, chairman of the legislative Joint Budget
Committee, said medical and social service representatives met with
him in Yuma County just three weeks ago to urge lawmakers to beef up
efforts to attack the meth labs.

"I was told these meth labs have become a very serious problem in
rural Colorado," Young said.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration in the U.S.
Department of Justice, meth -- also known as speed, ice and crystal
- -- is the fastest growing drug threat in America.

The drug can be smoked, snorted, injected or taken orally.

The 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse estimated that 9.4
million Americans had tried meth in their lifetime, compared to 3.8
million in 1994.

Meth wasn't the only issue the CBI brought before state lawmakers,
who are hearing budget requests for 2002-03.

CBI Director Bob Cantwell urged lawmakers not to cut back on the
staff who carry out Insta-Checks on gun purchases, even though the
state conducted only 134,817 criminal background checks, about 17.5%
fewer than the 163,638 it was funded for.

The number of checks has surged since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks,
Cantwell said, with the state conducting 3,000 last weekend alone.
The high number over the weekend was also due to a major gun show in
Colorado Springs and gun sales from Country General stores, which are
going out of business, Cantwell said.

He steered clear, however, of suggesting that gun buyers pay the
$14.80 cost for each background check, a cost now paid out of the
general fund. Budget analysts have projected such a shift could save
the state nearly $1.8 million.

The CBI also said it still hopes to launch an online background check
service on Jan. 1. For a fee, Internet users will be able to conduct
a criminal check on anyone in the state database.

Cantwell said the CBI expects a 3.5 percent increase in requests for
checks initially.

"Because of what happened on Sept. 11, it could be more than that,"
Cantwell said. "It's going to be pretty easy to access and we think
people are going to take advantage of it."