Pubdate: Fri, 09 Jul 2004
Source: Watauga Democrat (NC)
Copyright: 2004 Watauga Democrat Newspapers, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.wataugademocrat.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2322
Author: Scott Nicholson

METH TASK FORCE: EFFORT WILL INCLUDE WATAUGA, STATE

Watauga Sheriff Mark Shook introduced the Northwestern North Carolina 
Methamphetamine Task Force at a Wednesday press conference, followed by 
news of the task force's first arrest, with four defendants facing federal 
charges.

The task force is a cooperative effort between Watauga, Wilkes and Ashe 
counties and joined by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation 
(SBI) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Other participating agencies include the Watauga, Wilkes and Ashe District 
Attorney's offices, Boone Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco 
and Firearms and the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The task force received a grant of up to $170,000 for establishing an 
office, with future continuing grants possible.

The three counties contributed about $15,000 each as a local share.

The money will be used to hire a data analyst, and Shook said the position 
was now being advertised. Watauga County has donated space for an office 
that's not in a law enforcement center. That office will collect data and 
have a toll free number so people can report suspicious activity that might 
be related to illegal production of meth.

Shook said the involvement of the U.S. Attorney's office not only yields 
tougher potential sentences against meth manufacturers, it also shifts the 
prosecution and trial to federal court and relieves the burden on district 
courts.

Shook called the task force a proactive step in the battle against 
methamphetamine, which has become the region's largest crime problem. Shook 
links meth use to many other categories of crime and said drug 
investigations are taking a large portion of his department's resources.

Last year, Watauga County had 34 meth lab busts, equal to the entire 
statewide total of 2001. Last year, Ashe County had six and Wilkes had 
three busts, but both counties expect more activity in the future. Watauga 
County had five busts in 2002.

Shook said methamphetamine manufacture had migrated east from California, 
and said Tennessee is plagued with the problem. In addition to the adjacent 
counties, Shook said there was also communitcation with law enforcement 
officals across the state lines in Tennessee and Virginia.

Ashe County Sheriff Jim Hartley said meth "cookers" are becoming more 
organized and sophisticated both in setting up the labs and in getting the 
needed ingredients from retail stores.

Since many of the ingredients are legal by themselves, store owners are 
asked to report suspicious purchases of a number of products that might be 
linked to meth labs, particularly cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine.

"It's one of the worst drugs we've faced," Hartley said. He said meth 
manufacturers were becoming a "real tight group" and a suspected teacher is 
traveling the region showing others how to set up the illegal labs.

Hartley also praised the support of county commissioners in developing the 
task force. Each county will have three deputies certified to investigate 
clandestine labs, since the labs hold health hazards due to the toxic 
chemicals involved. In the past, county departments had to call in the SBI 
response team before they could raid a lab.

Capt. William Greene of the Boone Police Department said that although meth 
labs were largely a rural phenomenon, the department was seeing more 
precursor chemicals in town arrests. No labs have been found at Appalachian 
State University. "It's a great asset to be a part of this task force and 
be able to pool resources," Greene said.

SBI agent David Call said the western district was seeing the greatest 
impact and said while the General Assembly was giving more support for drug 
investigations. He said "We certainly could use additional manpower."

"It's a northwestern North Carolina problem right now, but we're seeing 
more cases in the Piedmont and on the coast," Call said. "We are trying to 
educate other law enforcement personnel across the state about this problem 
and let them know it's coming. We have to adapt to crime problems as it 
comes out."

Shook said under federal sentencing guidelines, defendants would be facing 
between 10 and 15 years. It also provides tougher penalties if firearms are 
found with the lab or are used in connection with illegal distribution.

Shook said while other drugs are still around, meth has stolen the 
spotlight in the last couple of years. "We still have marijuana and coke 
(cocaine), but meth is causing the most problems," he said.

The state Attorney General's office issued a report in May that said 
methamphetamine threatens to overwhelm the state's law enforcement, social 
services, public health facilities and courtrooms.

The report recommends more public education on the dangers of meth labs and 
specialized training for those professions that might find evidence of meth 
labs. It also recommended tougher sentences for methamphetamine 
manufacture, particularly if a child is found in the home and if emergency 
responders or law enforcement officers are injured in a meth lab case.

A bill to toughen meth sentences is currently with a N.C. Senate judiciary 
committee.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart