Pubdate: Wed, 9 Jan 2008
Source: Great Falls Tribune (MT)
Copyright: 2008 Great Falls Tribune
Contact: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/customerservice/contactus.html
Website: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2502
Author: Karl Puckett, Tribune Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/af.htm (Asset Forfeiture)

OFFICIALS DISCOVER FEWER METH LABS IN CASCADE COUNTY IN 2007

The good news: Authorities are finding fewer methamphetamine 
"cooking" labs in northcentral Montana.

The bad: About 50 arrests are made each year in the region for 
selling or possessing the drug.

The bottom line:

"We still have a serious meth problem," Cascade County Sheriff David 
Castle said.

Castle's mixed message on meth was part of an update he gave Tuesday 
to Cascade County commissioners on the work of the Central Montana 
Drug Task Force in 2007.

During the year, authorities discovered four labs where meth was 
made, down from five labs in 2006, 10 in 2005 and 16 in 2004.

The steady decline in labs doesn't necessarily mean the drug is 
disappearing, the sheriff said.

Of the 148 felony drug arrests the task force made in 2007, 44 were 
related to meth. And almost six pounds of the drug -- worth an 
estimated $400,000 on the street -- was recovered.

The lab and arrest numbers show that meth still is being brought into 
the area and sold, even if less meth is being manufactured locally in 
clandestine laboratories, Castle said.

The sheriff said education remains critical in reducing the use of 
meth and other drugs. He cited neighborhood watches and organizations 
that work with children and teenagers as key contributors in reducing use.

"We're not going to arrest our way out of this," he said.

State, local and federal agents make up the task force, which 
officially includes Cascade and Teton counties but it conducts 
investigations throughout central Montana. Castle said investigations 
have even taken officers to other states.

The nine-member organization received a $104,000 "high-intensity drug 
trafficking area" grant from the federal White House Office of 
National Drug Control Policy in 2007. It's applying for a $119,734 
grant this year.

Task force officers target "big players" who sell and make the drug, 
Castle said.

"We have a heck of a team," he added.

In 2007, investigators:

Made 148 felony drug arrests. Most were related to meth and marijuana.

Seized six pounds of meth, 52 pounds of marijuana, 2.5 pounds of 
cocaine, and 545 dosage units of prescription pills.

Seized $56,148 in cash; $76,500 in vehicles, including a large 
four-wheel-drive Hummer; and $13,000 in property, including fancy jewelry.

Seized assets are placed in a forfeiture fund and divided between the 
local, state and federal agencies that supply manpower to the task 
force, Castle said. The money is used to help pay for overtime and 
equipment and as "buy money" in undercover operations. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake