Meth adds to danger of illegal-drug arrests

Criminals who make the illegal drugs leave behind toxic waste.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Methamphetamine has transformed Ohio drug raids into toxic dump cleanups.
Instead of raiding a home, making arrests and seizing evidence with little more than rubber gloves and plastic bags, law enforcement officers find themselves tiptoeing around potential explosives, waiting hours for hazardous cleanup crews and spending money and time on cleanup with no suspects in sight.
Federal, state and local governments have spent millions of dollars hunting and cleaning up labs that make the drug from toxic ingredients that can explode or, with longtime exposure, cause cancer.
"Used to be, we bust a guy with some dope, whether it was pot or crack or whatever, and we bag it and tag it as evidence and go about our business," said Scioto County sheriff's detective John Koch. "Now, I wrap myself up like a storm trooper and become a hazardous-materials handler."
Meth is made by grinding an over-the-counter cold medication and using various chemicals to extract ephedrine, which produces a high like speed or cocaine. The chemicals include battery acid, sulfuric acid and anhydrous ammonia, a highly caustic fertilizer ingredient.
What's been done
In attempts to stem meth production, state lawmakers have restricted sales of the medicine, pseudoephedrine, and heightened penalties for stealing the fertilizer. Ohio is seeking federal money for locks to protect farmers' ammonia tanks from thefts.
About 500 meth labs are raided yearly in Ohio, up from 36 in 2000. The attorney general's office has spent about $2 million running a specialized unit focusing on the labs since establishing it two years ago. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has spent another $2 million on hazardous meth waste cleanup.
The state also has paid for specialized training in handling toxic chemicals for 135 officers, each of whom gets about $1,300 in gear for handling hazards. The trained officers agree to leave their jurisdictions to help other departments that find meth labs, which are usually in rural areas.
Officers typically guard labs until cleanup help arrives from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency -- a wait that can last eight hours.