Pubdate: Tue, 30 Jun 2015
Source: Tampa Tribune (FL)
Copyright: 2015 The Tribune Co.
Contact: http://tbo.com/list/news-opinion-letters/submit/
Website: http://tbo.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/446
Author: Kristen Mitchell, Tribune staff
Page: B1

METH ACTIVITY NEARLY DOUBLES

The Easy-To-Make Narcotic Is Often Made In Abandoned Buildings

ST. PETERSBURG - An overdose during the weekend and the discovery of 
a mobile home lab showcase a resurgent crime problem in Pinellas 
County: Methamphetamine activity, by one measure, has nearly doubled 
in the past six months.

Deputies discovered the overdose victim in the intersection of 
Alternate 19 and Klosterman Road and made three arrests in the 
discovery of the meth lab nearby, operating out of an abandoned 
trailer at 4720 Roberts Road.

Meth seizures submitted from Pinellas and Pasco counties for analysis 
by the Pinellas County Forensic Lab total 120 during the first six 
months of this year compared to 68 during the same period last year.

'We're definitely tracking to be higher than last year,' said lab 
director Reta Newman.

Pinellas sheriff's deputies confirm a rise in activity involving 
meth, a relatively easy-to-make narcotic that targets the central 
nervous system and is extremely difficult to quit, said Capt. Mark 
Baughman, sheriff's narcotics nit commander.

'It's not like cocaine or heroin where you're dealing with a source 
country,' Baughman said. 'You're dealing with a group of people who 
know how to manufacture it and all the ingredients are legal.' 
Cooking meth can create fires and explosions so addicts often take 
over abandoned buildings and homes to cook the product. Baughman said 
most users aren't in the business for the money and are often their 
own best customers.

Pinellas' dense population makes the meth problem particularity 
dangerous, distinct from areas elsewhere in Florida where people go 
into the woods to cook, Baughman said. Pinellas addicts move from 
hotel rooms and abandoned buildings often because they're more likely 
to be seen and caught here.

Cooks are teaching others how to make the drug, which multiplies the 
problem, Baughman said.

'Once somebody gets good at making it ... they're willing to show 
other people how to make it,' he said. 'Then they start popping up 
every where.' Meth is a problem in all parts of the county, Baughman 
said, but more so in Pinellas Park.

In the city of St. Petersburg, meth activity is down significantly 
over last year, said city police Maj. Antonio Gilliam. In 2015, 24 
grams of meth have been seized so far compared to 100.3 grams during 
the first six months of 2014.

'I don't know if its less meth being produced, but were not seeing as 
much as other counties or jurisdictions,' Gilliam said.

Still, in a major bust in February that followed a monthlong 
investigation, Pinellas deputies raided a meth house and made five 
arrests at 2500 19th St. N in St. Petersburg. Baughman said the home 
was abandoned and had no running water.

Baughman said law enforcement relies on tips to tackle the problem 
and asked that people keep an eye open in their neighborhoods.

'There's a number of ways to investigate it,' he said, 'but I would 
say a lot of it is investigated based on complaints.'
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom