Pubdate: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 Source: Mohave Valley Daily News (AZ) Copyright: 2006 Mohave Valley News Contact: http://www.mohavedailynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3625 Author: Jim Seckler, The Daily News Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) TRI-STATE BATTLE AGAINST METH RAGES ON KINGMAN - Methamphetamine is the most destructive, addicting drug on the market. Law enforcement agencies from three states are waging its never-ending war on meth in the Tri-state. About 65 to 70 percent of all drug arrests involve methamphetamine. California outlaw motorcycle gangs were the first to bring in methamphetamine from California into Mohave County and Arizona about 20 years ago. The drug has since spread eastward across the country. Bullhead City Police Chief Rodney Head said meth and marijuana are the drugs of choice and are easily accessible in the Tri-state. Meth can be cheaply produced with little knowledge of chemistry and common household items. Sheriff Tom Sheahan said education is one of the main tools the sheriff's office uses to fight the use of meth in the county. The sheriff office's Drug Abuse Resistance Education program is aimed at elementary students in the schools in the unincorporated areas of the county. Another key in the war on meth is law enforcement working with local retailers to monitor unusual purchases of ingredients such as iodine, matches or coffee filters used to make the drug. Bullhead City and Kingman, as well as Phoenix and Tucson, recently restricted the purchase of over-the-counter drugs such as pseudoephedrine at local pharmacies within city limits. Pseudoephedrine and ephedrine are main ingredients used to make methamphetamine, the drug directly or indirectly responsible for the majority of crimes. The sheriff's K-9 team is also instrumental in fighting meth. Police dogs save deputies valuable time and manpower in searching homes or vehicles for meth. Sheahan said the number of meth labs found has decreased in recent years because of the persistent enforcement and the increasing difficulty in buying items used to make meth. Meth production has shifted to Mexico where large "super labs" can produce larger and cheaper amounts of, and better quality, meth. Mexico does not have the regulations that this country has to purchase ingredients used to make the drug. State legislatures are also joining in the fight against meth. A recently passed Arizona ballot measures gives judges the option to sending first- and second-time meth users to jail or prison instead of probation. Mohave County Superior Court has also recently established a drug court aimed specifically at juvenile drug offenders. About 60 to 70 percent of the inmates at the county jail are in custody because crimes they committed are indirectly related to meth use, Sheahan said. Meth users resort to committing property crimes, fraud and identity theft crimes. In December, Mohave County also contributed $117,988 to Maricopa County to be used for the Arizona Meth Project, which is based on the Montana Meth Project, an anti-drug project in that state. The prevention project will use advertising in radio, newspapers, television and the Internet targeting young people and adults of the risks of meth use. The people who use meth can be any race, any age and people with high, middle or low incomes. Sheahan said even seniors in their 70s have been arrested for using meth. Meth destroys one's physical appearance including the teeth, face and internal organs. Elementary age children tend to try marijuana, alcohol and other drugs instead of meth. Children tend to graduate to meth in their early to mid-teens, Sheahan said. Children whose parents use meth are also more likely to follow in their parents' footsteps and use the drug. Formed in 1988, the Mohave Area General Narcotic Enforcement Team is made up of officers from the Kingman, Bullhead and Lake Havasu City police departments, the Mohave County Sheriff's Office and the Arizona Department of Public Safety. MAGNET officers also assist officers from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office in Needles, the Fort Mojave Tribal Police and the Las Vegas Metro Police Department in Laughlin as well as agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency in its war on drugs, especially meth and meth labs. Meth labs in the Laughlin area are also becoming rare but the use of meth - especially at the hotels and casinos - has seen a steady increase, according to the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. One method is undercover operations that include the area's hotels and casinos. Metro police officers also conduct highway stops as another tool to search for drugs. Officers conduct the "knock and talk" method of knocking on doors and talking to Laughlin citizens to gather information on the drug trade. Las Vegas Metro police also target elementary students on the dangers of meth with its DARE program. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake