Pubdate: Sun, 24 May 2009
Source: Salt Lake Tribune (UT)
Copyright: 2009 The Salt Lake Tribune
Contact:  http://www.sltrib.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/383
Author: Nate Carlisle
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

METHAMPHETAMINE QUALITY DOWN IN UTAH

Purity Problems ; Might Lead To More Crime, Addict Says.

Methamphetamine in Utah just isn't like the old days.

The quality of the drug has declined and the price has  increased, 
according to U.S. Drug Enforcement  Administration agents in the 
state. In some cases, the  drug is so poor, agents have a hard time 
making a  criminal case against the seller.

"It's more difficult to find methamphetamine in Utah  right now than 
it's ever been," said Frank Smith, the  assistant special agent in 
charge of the DEA in Salt  Lake City.

Agents are finding meth that is as little as 30 percent  pure, 
costing $1,400 to $1,800 an ounce, Smith said. In  2005, the DEA and 
local police complained meth was  routinely 90 percent pure and the 
price about $1,000 an  ounce.

Smith credits crackdowns at home and abroad for the  change. But 
while the DEA may view the purity and money  changes as a success, 
some like Jenny Riggs also warn  the change could lead to more of 
other types of crime.

Consuming meth that is less pure can mean less intense  highs or that 
someone needs to consume more meth to  reach the desired effect. 
Lower quality meth forces  addicts to steal and rob people to buy 
more drugs and  keep their highs, said Riggs, who became addicted 
to  meth at age 18.

"They're just committing more crimes to look for the  best product," 
she said in a telephone interview from  the Utah State Prison.

Riggs, 30, was convicted of forgery in 2008. She was  forging checks 
to obtain money for meth, she says.  She will leave the state prison 
in September and begin  serving a 38-month federal sentence for 
forgery in a  federal prison in Dublin, Calif.

The lower quality has made it harder for federal agents  to prosecute 
some sellers, Smith said. Federal law  enforcement uses a formula to 
determine whether to  prosecute methamphetamine cases. The lower 
quality the  meth, the more agents need to confiscate or buy from a dealer.

Smith said that lately,; undercover agents have been  buying more 
meth from certain dealers to meet the  thresholds and charge the 
dealers with crimes. State  prosecutions don't have the same restrictions.

Limits on the amount of pseudoephedrine, a cold  medication and a 
major meth ingredient, that a person  can purchase have curbed Utah's 
home-grown meth supply,  said Smith. But although the Mexican 
government has  also pursued drug cartels in that country, reducing 
the  amount of meth flowing into the United States, the drug  usually 
still has high purity when it's shipped from  Mexico.

When it arrives to distribution points, Smith said,  dealers will use 
additives to cut the drug, or increase  the volume so there's more to sell.

"Their intent is to increase their profit margin," he  said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom