11 ARRESTED IN BUST OF SEVEN METH LABS

Federal and local drug agents have dismantled seven methamphetamine labs,
arrested 11 people and confiscated guns and drugs after month-long
investigation in Grant and Boone counties.

The raids, which began last Friday, uncovered a series of labs operating
out of homes in Dry Ridge, Crittenden, Verona and Walton, said Jim Paine,
executive director of the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force.

Last Friday and this Wednesday, agents recovered a massive 300-pound tank
of anhydrous ammonia, which is used to make methamphetamine; 13 guns;
various chemicals and equipment; and six ounces of the street stimulant
valued at $6,000.

More arrests are expected soon, Paine said. Those arrested range in age
from 23 to 41; all are residents of Grant County. But agents believe a
number of Boone County residents are also operating the illegal labs.

Four of those arrested are free after posting bond. The remaining seven are
still in the Grant County Detention Center after their arraignments,
awaiting preliminary hearings next week on charges ranging from
manufacturing methamphetamine and trafficking in narcotics to possession of
drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Paine said the labs, including one operating in a small set of woods in Dry
Ridge, posed great danger to neighbors.

"Most of the neighbors around these things don't have a clue what's going
on and yeah, it concerns me," said Paine. "These people don't care what
they do ... they'll dump chemicals and their by-products into creeks and it
is a real danger to their neighbors."

Paine said after initial undercover buys were made, agents were able to
locate one lab, which then led to the location of additional labs. He said
most methamphetamine manufacturers are loosely connected in order to
service their customers and obtain their manufacturing supplies.

Strike force agents were helped by Boone and Grant County Sheriff's
deputies, Kenton County police and agents from the Cincinnati and Lexington
offices of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.