Pubdate: Tue, 22 May 2007 Source: Anderson Independent-Mail (SC) Copyright: 2007 Independent Publishing Company, a division of E.W. Scripps Contact: http://www.independentmail.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2256 Author: Liz Carey Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Note: MAP archives articles exactly as published, except that our editors may redact the names and addresses of accused persons who have not been convicted of a crime, if those named are not otherwise public figures or officials. SHERIFF'S OFFICE: METH LABS COMING BACK TO UPSTATE Meth Lab Bust -- Omen Of Future According to the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, recent arrests for methamphetamine production and trafficking are the future of Anderson County, not the past. "Methamphetamine is our No. 1 drug problem in the Upstate," said Mike Miller, director of the Anderson-Oconee Regional Forensics Laboratory. "Sixty-nine percent of my case load is methamphetamine .. We are the final East Coast version of every other state in the country." In his 11th year as a law enforcement officer, Mr. Miller said he has been at 572 clandestine meth lab busts, predominantly in Anderson and Oconee counties. Across the state, he said, Anderson ranks No. 1 in the number of meth labs seized. In 2006 and 2005, he said, Anderson was the No. 1 county in the state for meth labs seized. Prior to that, Anderson and Greenville were the top two counties in the state for meth labs seized So far this year, that trend is continuing. According to his department's statistics, clandestine meth laboratory seizures peaked in 2003 at 81 in Anderson and Oconee counties. Law enforcement stepped up its education efforts concerning the drug. Later, in 2005 and 2006, legislation in South Carolina not only restructured the crime and its penalties, but also later controlled the sale and distribution of chemicals and supplies used in making meth. And since 2003, the number of meth labs seized has fallen below that high mark set in 2003. But Mr. Miller said the number of meth lab busts so far this year is higher than it was this time last year. A recent arrest is the 10th in Anderson and Oconee counties this year. "In 2006, we didn't reach 10 until June," he said. " I expect (the number of meth lab seizures) to be the same rate as last year, but it could potentially be higher because we've already seen more meth coming through the door." On May 20, [Name redacted], was arrested at her home at [address redacted], when the Sheriff's Office received a complaint that she was cooking meth in her home. According to the sheriff's report, [Name redacted] is on probation for manufacturing meth. Agents found 2 grams of suspected meth and the chemicals and equipment used to make it throughout the house, the report said. In the report, officers said [Name redacted] admitted she had a small amount of the drug in her bedroom, and that while she had cooked some the night before "there wasn't anything currently cooking in the residence." [Name redacted] was charged with manufacturing meth, and possession with intent to distribute, the report said. A seeming decrease in clandestine lab seizures over the last two years is misleading, Mr. Miller said. Meth users aren't going away, they were just getting their drugs from somewhere else, he said. According to him, Mexican drug cartels have been flooding the Upstate with meth. Now that they have an addicted base, he said, they are cutting down the purity of their product to create a new need for the drug and increasing the price. "So, lab seizures aren't the daily constant headache they used to be," he said. "But now you've got a situation where the user base is up. And they are buying more of it, but it's not as pure as they are used to, so they need it more frequently. It's not going to be long before it flips over again. We've seen a spike already this year." In an arrest on May 16, the Anderson County Sheriff's Department seized 72 pounds of marijuana and 11.5 grams of meth, along with trafficking materials and several firearms when they executed a search warrant at the home of [Name redacted]. [Name redacted] was charged with trafficking marijuana and methamphetamine, receiving stolen property and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. Mr. Miller said he also anticipates an increase in violent crimes, violent attacks in the detention center and personal crimes such as car break-ins and burglary, as addicts try to find the money to pay for their habit. Any increase in drug-related crime, the sheriff said, would mean more work, but not more pay. "It will obviously mean more work and more man hours for our narcotics unit," Sheriff David Crenshaw said. However, because of a freeze on overtime, officers will not be receiving more money. Instead, he said, officers would receive comp time should their duties require them to work beyond the 40-hour maximum, he said. That won't, however, impact his office's response, he said. "We will react as swiftly and as harshly as possible. We will continue to attack the war on drugs." Sheriff Crenshaw said. "We'll be doing the same thing we always have, very diligently, to arrest people who are manufacturing and trafficking drugs, and keep the drugs off the street and out of the hands of our children." [Sidebar] Number of Clandestine Meth Labs Seized in Anderson and Oconee counties 2001 - 9 2002 - 44 2003 - 81 2004 - 70 2005 - 49 2006 - 49 Source: Anderson-Oconee Regional Forensics Laboratory - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman