Meth is on the rise in Ohio and in the Valley

In 2005, the state spent about $700,000 to clean up messes from a record number of meth labs.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
A year ago, thefts of anhydrous ammonia, the farm fertilizer also used to make methamphetamine, were prevalent in Beaver Township.
Thieves would bring along containers and siphon the ammonia from farmers' tanks, said Beaver Chief Carl N. Frost.
Once township farmers added a pinkish liquid fluorescent dye called GloTell to their supplies of anhydrous ammonia, the thefts stopped, Frost said.
GloTell stains whatever it touches and even if washed off can be detected by ultraviolet light, according to Agrium, its manufacturer. Police like the product because anhydrous ammonia thieves with pink hands are easy to spot.
Users who snort the meth end up with a fluorescent pink nose, and those who inject it will see a pink mark on their skin.
GloTell is marketed as a leak detector, marking agent and theft deterrent, Agrium spokesman Lisa Parker said from her Alaska office. A survey conducted in February 2005 showed that some retailers who sell to growers said it appeared to reduce ammonia thefts, she said.
"We started working closely with the farmers and encouraged them to add GloTell to the [ammonia] product," Frost said. "Their vigilance worked."
Unlike cocaine, distilled from plants grown outside the U.S., methamphetamine is manufactured in clandestine labs from readily available household products. The ingredients needed for synthesis, ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, are found in over-the-counter cold medicines.
To curb production of meth, a new law (effective May 17) restricts the sale of products such as Sudafed. Products must be placed behind the counter, and purchase is limited to 9 grams (three 24-tablet packages, for example) within a 30-day period. Consumers must be 18, and retailers must keep log books tracking sales.
For the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, meth is a priority nationwide, said DEA Special Agent Erik Kochanowski. Typically, labs are often set up in rural areas, but no locale is immune.
Kochanowski said the DEA has found meth labs in motel rooms, recreational vehicles, apartments, houses and camping trailers.
"You cook where you sell," Kochanowski said of labs found mostly in outlying areas. "Cooks teach others the process; it's not a difficult process, but it's extremely dangerous. Being your own drug supplier is part of the draw."
The drug
Meth -- smoked, injected or snorted -- wreaks havoc with the central nervous system. Users stay up for days and then crash.
"Meth is the equivalent of cocaine but with a higher high and a longer lasting high," Kochanowski said. "There's definitely a market for it."
Short-term effects of meth include decreased appetite, fatigue, paranoia and aggressive behavior. Long-term effects include tooth decay (so-called "meth mouth"), memory problems, addiction, insomnia and reduced levels of dopamine, which regulates emotions and motivation.
"Meth crosses all socio-economic boundaries," Kochanowski said. "It's not much different from the way marijuana and cocaine cross boundaries."
Kochanowski said manufacture of the drug is simple and it's no secret that recipes are readily available online. Web sites devoted to meth abound.
Hazardous waste materials are the byproducts of meth production. Dismantling meth labs requires specialized training and protective gear -- white biohazard suits, gloves, boots and masks.
"The chemicals produce very deadly gases," Kochanowski said. "We have to be protected so we don't contaminate others."
The DEA, after processing a meth lab crime scene -- collection of evidence samples and photos for court -- calls in specialists who take away the hazardous materials for disposal.
He said the cleanups must meet Occupational Safety and Health Administration and federal Environmental Protection Agency standards.
A bad year
Last year, 429 meth labs were discovered in Ohio, the most in any year, and the state spent $700,000 for cleanup of the messes left by "criminal chemists," according to Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro.
Kochanowski said law enforcement hasn't seen much meth production in this area, but labs have been found in Ashtabula, Stark and Summit counties. The agent said he won't be surprised if more meth labs pop up in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.
In July 2003, a clandestine meth lab was discovered after a trailer fire at Lakeside Campground on Bedell Road, just 200 yards north of U.S. Route 224 in Berlin Township. Fire destroyed the trailer but not the attached lab.
In February, the first meth lab in Youngstown was found at 561 W. Delason Ave. on the South Side. A DEA clandestine lab team had to break the screwed-shut windows to enter the 21/2 story house. Because of the volatile nature of meth labs, Youngstown firefighters were on hand.
About two weeks ago, a small meth lab was found in a house in Craig Beach, said Lt. Robin Lees, commander of the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force.
Last Thursday, a small meth lab was found inside a camper at Green Acres Lake Park on Creed Road in Milton Township. A concerned resident suspicious about activity at the trailer called police.
Frost said the Mahoning Valley Chiefs of Police Association will soon hold a meth awareness class for police. The DEA is trying to get state and local police trained to process meth labs.
The drug has steadily been making its way east since California biker gangs began manufacturing it more than 30 years ago. Kochanowski said the meth made today is more potent.
Preventive measures
Concerns over meth prompted United Methodist Community Center and Ohio Parents for Drug Free Youth to hold an awareness program in late March.
"We know that meth is not a big problem in the inner city at this point," Lenore Moore, outreach supervisor for the center on North Pearl Street, said at the program. "This is a preventive measure."
Guest speaker Amy Klumpp, a social worker with the Mahoning County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board, said other states are overrun by meth labs and it's fast becoming a problem in Ohio. Education about the highly addictive stimulant is the best prevention, she said.
Klumpp said studies have shown that 91 percent of meth users are white and 76 percent are age 21 to 40. She said 12.4 million Americans have tried meth at least once.
She called the impact on kids who live in a place where meth is manufactured "enormous."
Because adult users are "up" for three to five days and then "down" for three to five days, their children are neglected and exposed to dangerous chemicals, she said.
Klumpp said meth cooks dispose of the hazardous waste byproducts down toilets, into sewers and backyards.
meade@vindy.com