Pubdate: Fri, 06 Dec 2002
Source: Daily Times (MN)
Copyright: 2002 Crookston Daily Times
Contact:  http://www.crookstontimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2587
Note:  is also listed as a contact
Author: Natalie Ostgaard, News Editor
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

METH LABS A 'NIGHTMARE'

According to Northwest Drug Task Force members Scott Bixby and Randy 
Sondreal methamphetamine labs have become northwest Minnesota's worst 
nightmare.

Speaking at a noon meeting of the Crookston Rotary Club Thursday Bixby and 
Sondreal said the task force discovered the first meth lab in northwestern 
Minnesota four years ago near Fertile. In the past year they've discovered 
10 more.

Bixby and Sondreal, both Polk County Deputy Sheriffs, said the drug task 
force works in Polk, Pennington, Mahnomen, Marshall and Red Lake Counties. 
The force only employs three full-time workers and the men work as a team, 
said Bixby. Rural Minnesota is a big draw for meth labs for a number of 
reasons, he said.

Anhydrous ammonia is available here and there are many secluded buildings 
that work well for clandestine operations. According to Bixby just 10 
pounds of methamphetamine is worth $500,000 on the street.

Meth use knows no age or social boundaries, said Sondreal. He said he has 
seen children as young as 12 and people old enough to be grandparents 
addicted to the drug. He said meth usage in northwestern Minnesota has also 
been increasing and most of the meth manufactured in this region stays in 
the area.

According to Sondreal there are multiple reasons people begin using meth. 
Young girls use it as a diet aid, he said, while others use it to stay 
awake. It is so addictive, he said, about 80 percent of meth users go back 
to it after they've quit.

Meth is sometimes known as "poor man's cocaine," said Sondreal. It is 
similar to cocaine since it's a powder and can also be made into small 
rocks. Meth is usually snorted or smoked like cocaine, he said.

At a lab discovered near Lengby, said Bixby, the people manufacturing the 
drug were actually putting the powder in their coffee. "They were getting 
stoned while drinking their morning cup," he said.

Sondreal said meth labs using anhydrous ammonia have become the most 
prevalent in this area and the process involved in making it can be 
extremely dangerous. Breathing in anhydrous ammonia also poses a 
significant risk and the waste byproduct of meth manufacturing is a sludgy 
liquid that is extremely dangerous. Sondreal said it can seep into the 
ground, making cleanup costly and difficult. "The sad part is," he said, 
"the landowners are responsible for the cleanup, even if they had nothing 
to do with the lab."

Each ingredient used for manufacturing meth poses little risk on its own, 
said Sondreal, but together they become toxic.

The Task Force distributes flyers to businesses, said Bixby, to increase 
awareness of potential producers. Businesses are urged to contact the Task 
Force if they see any suspicious activity such as stockpiling ephedrine 
products such as Sudafed.
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D