Pubdate: Wed, 03 Dec 2003 Source: Kingsport Times-News (TN) Copyright: 2003 Kingsport Publishing Corporation Contact: http://www.timesnews.net/index.cgi Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1437 METH LABS HAVE BECOME OUR REGION'S SCOURGE Tennessee's first statewide conference on methamphetamine labs is under way in Nashville - a timely recognition of a problem that has grown with menacing speed. While meth labs seem to have begun in California and later migrated to the Midwest, it is to Tennessee, and in particular the scenic and secluded hollows of our region, where the addictive stimulant's concentration seems especially acute. Tennessee now leads the nation in meth lab busts. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) spent approximately $22 million last year just to clean up the health hazard created by clandestine meth labs across the nation. Last year in Tennessee, 804 labs were discovered and confiscated by authorities. The cleanup cost was $3.1 million. This year, 1,083 labs have been identified by local, state or federal officials. Earlier this year, agents from the Third Judicial District Drug Task Force, assisted by the Hawkins County Sheriff's Department Narcotics Unit, raided what officials say was the biggest meth lab found in this part of the state. Disturbingly, that raid was the seventh meth lab found in Hawkins County and throughout the region; others have been located since. Such a lab exploded in Bulls Gap in May last year, killing two men and critically injuring another. As the pace of illegal lab discovery and confiscation increases, it's becoming exceedingly clear that our region has become a kind of mecca for meth production activity. Narcotics experts say meth cooks and traffickers often operate in small towns and rural areas. They find them perfect havens to make and distribute their dangerous drug. Meth continues to ruin countless lives, filling jails and prisons - and morgues - flooding courts and frustrating overworked law enforcement agencies. Officials say citizen information is critical to shutting these labs down. Unfortunately, most may be unaware they're living in proximity to this dangerous, criminal activity. Here are some tell-tale signs: . Strong odors similar to that of fingernail polish remover or urine. . Residences with windows blacked out. . Renters who pay their landlords in cash. (Most drug dealers trade exclusively in cash). . Lots of traffic, with people coming and going at unusual times. There may be little traffic during the day, but at night, the activity increases dramatically. . Purchases of large amounts of products, especially cold medicines. . Excessive trash, including large amounts of items such as antifreeze containers, drain cleaner, lantern fuel cans, red chemically stained coffee filters, batteries and drain cleaner. If you observe any of these signs, immediately contact your nearest law enforcement agency. If a store clerk notices someone buying suspicious amounts of the items used to make meth, they are asked to report the purchase to a toll-free number, 1-877-TNN-METH (866-6384). As this week's meeting in Nashville demonstrates, the fight against methamphetamine is a tough one requiring the effort of every level of law enforcement from the local to the federal. That effort will take time, and results will be hard to measure for some time to come. Meantime, the public can play an important role in alerting law enforcement if they suspect a clandestine lab is being operated in their vicinity. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman