Pubdate: Thu, 27 Sep 2001
Source: Herald-Citizen (TN)
Copyright: 2001 Herald-Citizen, a division of Cleveland Newspapers, Inc
Contact:  http://www.herald-citizen.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1501
Author: Mary Jo Denton

METH PROBE YIELDS 14 INDICTMENTS

A White County business owner who has allegedly sold large quantities of 
over-the-counter pills to meth drug dealers was expected to be arrested by 
federal agents today. That person and 13 others in Putnam, White, and other 
Upper Cumberland counties were named on a list carried by federal Drug 
Enforcement Administration agents, Putnam deputies, and numerous other law 
officers as they left the Putnam County Justice Center early this morning 
to round up suspects for booking.

The agents and deputies went out to serve federal sealed indictments on the 
14 as part of an on-going investigation in this area which is called 
"Operation Stop Gap," an effort to stem the illegal meth trade here.

The investigation has been underway since August of 2000, according to 
Putnam Sheriff Jerry Abston and DEA Resident Agent Harry Sommers.

"We are focusing not only on the meth 'cookers' now, but on those who 
provide them with the precursor chemicals and the substances and equipment 
they use to make meth," said DEA Agent Sommers.

Meth is a synthetic drug which can be cooked up in kitchen "labs" out of 
fairly common ingredients, such as ammonia, iodine, and substances found in 
over-the-counter allergy pills.

As the illegal meth problem has mushroomed in the Upper Cumberland, some 
stores have hiked the prices of such ingredients way up, earning a large 
profit and, in some cases, even providing meth cookers with huge quantities 
of the ingredients, the DEA agent and Sheriff Abston said this morning.

"There are those who have been selling large quantities of these pills, 
some out the back door, and we have been investigating these and others, as 
well those who are making meth and selling it," Agent Sommers said.

He said that last week federal search warrants were served on a business in 
White County and two residences, one in White County and one in Nashville, 
in connection with the arrests being made in this area today.

Agent Sommers said the investigation has focused in part on those merchants 
who sell the common (and legal) ingredients used in meth manufacturing, 
especially those selling in large quantities and who "have a knowledge and 
understanding" of what it is they're selling and "what it's going to be 
used for."

Reportedly, some stores have been selling bottles of allergy pills which 
cost about $2 wholesale for as much as $14 a bottle, knowing that meth 
manufacturers use the pills to make the illegal drug.

"It takes a long and sometimes difficult investigation to get the proof we 
need to make a case of that type, as we have to work within the rules, but 
sometimes the day comes when we can do that, and today is that day," Agent 
Sommers said.

The 14 being sought today have been indicted on various charges of 
manufacturing, possession, and distribution of meth and the chemicals used 
to make it.

With the widening of the usual meth investigations to include those who 
have been selling the ingredients and with the filing of federal charges 
instead of state charges, the law enforcers hope to send a message, they said.

"Every charge we are making today, if there is a conviction, will result in 
at least a 10-year prison sentence," said DEA Agent Joel Reece.

In the federal system, that means serving at least 85 percent of the sentence.

And most of those on the list to be arrested today "are not just first 
timers," a factor which could increase their punishment upon conviction, 
Reece said.

Having the weight of the federal government in the investigation and the 
prosecution means a lot to the local law enforcers, who have long been 
frustrated by the inadequacy of state laws on meth.

"We have asked and asked that our state laws be revamped to punish this 
crime more, but nothing has been done due to the state's budget situation," 
Sheriff Abston said.

He said state lawmakers hesitate to pass new laws on the subject because 
more prosecution and incarceration translate to increased costs.

Likewise, Sparta Police Chief Jeff Guth said, "In the state courts, our 
judges' hands are tied on this meth problem. We've really looked forward to 
federal intervention." The state laws simply are inadequate to handle the 
growing problem, he said.

And the costs of cleaning up the hazardous materials involved in meth labs 
are extremely high, another factor which hampers local investigation and 
prosecution of the offense.

"The DEA spends a quarter of a million dollars per week cleaning up these 
labs," Agent Sommers said.

The chemicals and other substances used to make meth are very dangerous. 
They can explode, and even the fumes have the power to sicken or kill human 
beings.

The drug which is made in the process can be smoked, snorted, injected, or 
taken by mouth. It is highly addictive and does irreversible damage to the 
brain in some cases. Users become hyperactive, paranoid, and sometimes violent.

"It's a drug that is relatively cheap and easy to make, and users like it," 
Agent Sommers said. "Once they're on it, they seem unable to get off. They 
don't seem to recover."

Most of those who "cook" meth are users who are feeding a habit, but they 
are also making money, he said. And those who are supplying the ingredients 
are making money.

The Nashville office of the DEA initiated Operation Stop Gap in this area 
last year to target those who cook meth and distribute it and those who 
supply the "precursor chemicals" and equipment used in the process, Sommers 
said.

The undercover investigation has resulted in the seizure of 178 clandestine 
meth labs and 216 arrests, mainly in the Cumberland Plateau area. Twenty 
two of the arrests involved federal charges, as will the 14 arrests 
expected to be completed today.

Operation Stop Gap initially focused on the Upper Cumberland because of the 
rapid spread of illegal meth operations in this area, Agent Sommers said.

And the law enforcement agencies involved in today's raid reflects that: 
the Putnam, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Overton, Smith, and White County 
Sheriffs offices, and the Sparta Police Dept.

Among those gathered at the Putnam jail this morning for the raid were 
Sheriff Abston, Cumberland Sheriff Butch Burgess, Sparta Police Chief Jeff 
Guth, as well as DEA Agents Sommers and Joel Reece, FBI Agents Bart Brown, 
Daryl Martin, and Scott Swallows, and several other federal officers, 13th 
District Drug Task Force agents, TBI agents, and federal Alcohol, Tobacco 
and Firearms agents.

"We also want to make it clear that this is an on-going investigation," 
Sheriff Abston said this morning. "There will be more arrests."

Agent Sommers confirmed the DEA's commitment to continue the investigation 
in this area.

"We're not through yet," he said. "Today is just the first round. We will 
maintain a presence in the Cumberland Plateau."

Agent Sommers and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bob Watson cautioned that the 
charges brought today are just that: charges.

"Charges brought against a person through an indictment or complaint are 
accusations only," Sommers said. "All defendants are presumed innocent of 
the charges against them until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."
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