– File photo

County follows state meth trend

Smaller labs,
repeat offenders
lead to increase

By Jody Norwood
Tribune-Courier News Editor
jnorwood@tribunecourier.com

MARSHALL COUNTY – Numbers from a report issued by the Kentucky State Police last week show a discouraging trend in the effort to curb methamphetamine production. The report states there were 716 meth labs in the Commonwealth last year, increasing sixty percent over the 2008 totals. The number also eclipses the 2004 record when 600 labs were discovered.

Locally, Marshall County Sheriff Kevin Byars echoed KSP’s report.

“We’ve seen an increase in them,” Byars said. “It’s not the super labs we used to see, but it’s what we call personal labs.”

Byars said the current trend locally is smaller labs used to make smaller quantities of methamphetamine, enough for the producer to sell a limited amount and retain some for personal usage. Byars attributed part of the rise in smaller labs to repeat offenders.

“Some of the ones we put in jail 10 years ago are starting to get released,” Byars said.

Meth has been a popular choice for years among drug manufacturers due to its ease of obtaining ingredients and the addictiveness. In 2005, a law went into effect requiring purchases of pseudoephedrine tablets be made at pharmacy counters.

The ‘pharmacy log’ statute (KRS 218A.1446) had an “immediate effect by substantially reducing meth labs in the state by fifty percent over a three-year period,” according to a release by the KSP.

Lawmakers passed another statute in 2008 requiring pharmacy logs to be reported on a centralized database designated by state government. This computerized system utilizes an electronic pseudoephedrine monitoring system known as Meth Check. Despite the new Meth Check system the state’s 2008 meth lab total rose forty-one percent.

“With a small investment consisting of supplies bought from neighborhood stores, dealers can easily cook up hundreds of dollars worth of a drug so addictive, that users quickly descend into an abyss of violence and crime to get to their next high,” said Major Joseph Williams, Commander for the KSP Special Enforcement Troop. “This frightening scenario is the reality of methamphetamine, a dangerous drug that is sweeping Kentucky, spawning crime and ripping apart local communities – not to mention the huge financial burden it yields.”

The total cost to KSP last year to remove the 716 reported meth labs totaled $1,373,825.00. These costs include the discovery of labs, certified lab responder salaries, removal and transportation of waste from the scene and hazardous waste disposal fees. This does not include costs to social service organizations, remediation, incarceration or medical expenses incurred.

According to the KSP, part of the blame for the spike in labs is the development of a quicker, more efficient method for producing meth, called the “one-pot” or “shake-and-bake” method. This method leads to a great deal of pressure inside the container and can easily cause an explosion. The mixture of toxic ingredients in this process results in a chemical reaction which changes the pseudoephedrine into methamphetamine.

In 2009, 240 meth labs in the state were found in structures that are classified as multifamily dwellings, which include apartment complexes, hotels and motels. Seventy-four meth labs were found in vehicles and over 148 labs were found in locations within one-thousand yards of a school.

Even with the smaller labs, Byars said the public should be aware of the same warning signs as large scale operations.

“The smells are still going to be there,” Byars said. “Look for excessive amounts of trash being piled up outside. Watch for people coming outside to smoke. Of course, people will be coming and going frequently.”

Byars said it is also typical for windows to be covered or painted over where a lab is in place.

“I think the people of Marshall County are fairly educated in what to look for,” Byars said. Byars noted the communities support in education and help locating labs.

“If anyone thinks they see any of this activity going on, feel free to contact the Marshall County’s Sheriff’s Department at 527-3112.”

Residents may also phone Crime Stoppers at 527-COPS.