Pubdate: Mon, 22 Nov 2004 Source: Oak Ridger (TN) Copyright: 2004 The Oak Ridger Contact: http://www.oakridger.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1146 Author: Associated Press Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) BLOUNT OFFICIALS LOOKING TO SLOW AREA METH USE TOWNSEND - Blount County officials hope educating residents about the dangers of methamphetamine will curtail production of the drug, which is becoming a growing problem in their area. "It's in our area bad," said Townsend Police Chief Ronnie Suttles. "Meth is slow death. We need your help. If you know somebody on this, call somebody." Jerry Orr, a Blount County Sheriff's Office narcotics investigator assigned to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in Knoxville and the 5th Judicial District Task Force, recently presented a seminar on meth labs in this rural town, about 23 miles south of Knoxville. Methamphetamine, a central nervous system stimulant, is typically cooked in clandestine labs using readily available products that become a hazardous, health-threatening concoction. "Tennessee, for the third year in a row, has led the nation in the number of meth labs discovered," Orr said. "The Chattanooga area is overwhelmed with meth labs." This year there have been three meth labs destroyed in Blount County. On a scale of one to 10, Orr estimated the problem to be about a five or six. However, officials said just because Blount is not infested with meth labs like nearby counties such as Anderson and Roane, doesn't mean residents shouldn't be concerned. Because meth cooking leaves a chemical smell like nail polish remover, Orr said manufacturers prefer remote, rural areas, making the mountains and hollows of East Tennessee a prime location. For this reason, Orr told the many cabin owners and campground operators attending the seminar to especially be on the lookout. "APD (Alcoa Police Department) stopped a guy on Alcoa Highway that had hit campgrounds in Crossville, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Townsend who had everything to make meth in the back of his truck," he said. Ninety percent of the time these people pay in cash, Orr said, and he urged that vacation rental agents require a photo ID. He said the man who rented out the cabin where the Townsend meth lab was found last year stated he never saw the license plates of either the car or truck the renters drove because they always backed the vehicles up to the rental unit. "Most people who make methamphetamine are users," Orr said. "They sell just enough to put a little money in their pockets." - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin