Pubdate: Mon, 25 Nov 2002
Source: Tampa Tribune (FL)
Section: Metro
Copyright: 2002, The Tribune Co.
Contact:  http://www.tampatrib.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/446
Author: Jill King Greenwood

BAD GUYS' LOSSES RISE IN POLK WAR ON METH

WINTER HAVEN - Hardly a day goes by in Polk County when a routine traffic 
stop doesn't net methamphetamine, authorities say.

And law enforcement officials are uncovering more and more methamphetamine 
manufacturing labs in homes and vehicles across the county, sheriff's Lt. 
John Cook said.

"There is no question that meth is the drug of choice in Polk County," Cook 
said.

Cook oversees the sheriff's office narcotics division and is a member of 
the Central Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area unit, which 
comprises local, state and federal agents.

"Polk County is ground zero for meth. It's almost always made here, and it 
spreads across the state from here. And we've got a tremendous user base here."

In 2001, authorities busted four methamphetamine labs in Polk County. From 
January through October 2002, they seized 17 labs manufacturing the 
illegal, addictive stimulant. Polk County officials have confiscated 153 
pounds of methamphetamine in the first 10 months of the year, slightly less 
than the 160 pounds seized during 2001.

More meth makers, traffickers and users have been arrested in Polk County's 
2,010 square miles than in any other Tampa Bay area county. The four 
largest methamphetamine seizures in Florida history occurred in Polk, 
including a 56-pound bust from a storage facility in Haines City in May.

But sheriff's Col. Grady Judd said he doesn't think the increase in lab 
busts and drug seizures means the methamphetamine problem in Polk is 
getting worse.

Rather, he said, it reflects the success law enforcement agencies are 
having smoking out those who use and deal methamphetamine.

"We're really pleased with our efforts, and it shows that if you deal in 
meth, make meth or use meth in Polk County, we're going to catch you," Judd 
said.

Meth Takes A Toll

There also have been social costs to the methamphetamine problem in Polk. A 
surge in the number of cases of hepatitis A, deemed the worst infectious 
disease outbreak in Polk in 10 years, was linked to meth use, said health 
department director Daniel Haight.

Polk has had 254 cases of the liver disease in 2002, about 100 more than in 
2001.

Drug abusers tend to share needles and have poor hygiene, practices that 
contribute to the spread of hepatitis A, Haight said.

"The majority of our hepatitis A problem can be traced directly back to 
drug users, mostly meth users," Haight said. "It's really not a 
community-wide problem, it's a drug-user problem that leaks out to infect 
the rest of the community."

Judd said the more than $1 million in federal grants the county has 
received since 1999 has allowed law enforcement officers to do more 
undercover narcotics work and put in more time investigating 
methamphetamine labs and trafficking operations.

Those grants also have allowed officials to better train patrol deputies, 
store clerks, real estate agents and the public about what to look for in 
detecting methamphetamine labs and home-based operations.

"A lot of the labs we've busted this year have been the result of 
information we got from patrol deputies who responded to homes for domestic 
violence calls or other unrelated calls and they spotted the equipment and 
materials used to make meth," Cook said. "A couple of years ago, that 
probably wouldn't have happened."

An educational sweep by the sheriff's office has included public service 
announcements at movie theaters and billboards throughout the county 
informing the public about rewards being offered for information on the 
location of meth labs.

A newspaper insert featuring articles on meth addiction and production runs 
several times a year. The insert includes photographs of people wanted in 
connection with manufacturing or trafficking the drug.

Judd said sheriff's officials have educated store clerks about materials 
used to make meth so they can keep an eye out for anyone buying those 
ingredients in bulk. Polk real estate agents were schooled about what 
home-based labs look like in case they come across anything similar when 
showing homes for rent or sale, Judd said.

The educational campaign also has been directed toward post office 
employees and shipping agencies to inform them of the ways manufacturers 
and traffickers use the country's mail system to ship the drug.

"We need the public to be our eyes and our ears and help us fight this 
war," sheriff's Capt. Tim Holleyman said. "We need the kid working at the 
Wal-Mart to be paying attention, the neighbor down the street to be alert, 
and for the public to be aware of what this stuff looks like and smells 
like. The citizens are our partners in fighting meth."

Most of the chemicals and substances used to manufacture methamphetamine 
are household and over-the-counter items, including cold medicine, bleach, 
batteries, sulfuric acid and methanol. These are items that fail to raise 
suspicion when purchased or seen stored at a home or elsewhere.

Drug Czar: Treat It

Jim McDonough, director of the Florida Office of Drug Control Policy, said 
he expects the enforcement and education efforts in Polk to continue to 
make life harder for makers and dealers.

But, McDonough said, the problem of meth in Polk County will be eradicated 
only if the users get treatment.

"We're making a big dent in the problem, but it's still a supply-and- 
demand thing," McDonough said. "A lot of heat has been placed on those who 
deal and traffic in meth, but there are still so many people using and 
playing Russian roulette with their brains.

"Unless we can get all those who are addicted to this drug to get help, 
there will always be a meth problem in Polk County."

To report a methamphetamine dealer or lab, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800- 
226-8477 or the sheriff's office at (863) 533-0344.

For more on Polk County's methamphetamine drug problem, watch Jen Leigh's 
report at 5 p.m. today on WFLA, News Channel 8. And tune in at 11 p.m. to 
see Leigh's exclusive prison interview with Walter Steven Norris, who says 
he was high on methamphetamine when he killed Winter Haven police Officer 
Johnnie Patterson in 1997.
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