NJFFSA16
10-21-2002, 02:53 AM
MELVINDALE, Mich. (AP) - Illegal methamphetamine labs are
migrating from rural counties to the state's suburbs and cities,
and law enforcement officers are scrambling to block their spread.
Officials say meth - a highly addictive stimulant made from
over-the-counter products - is trickling into the Detroit area and
other cities in southeastern Michigan.
A lab bust last spring in Melvindale is seen as a wake-up call
for Detroit-area officials.
"That really got people's attention around here," state police
Lt. Tyrone Mitchell told The Detroit News for a Monday story.
Statewide, lab seizures have surged from three in 1997 to 91
last year and 153 since January.
Police, fire, environmental and health officials are receiving
special training. A $250,000 grant covers overtime and interagency
cooperation.
Pharmacists, who sell products used by producers, are being
briefed on evidence of the activity. A statewide hot line takes
tips about illicit labs.
More than 100 state troopers are assigned to a Methamphetamine
Investigation Unit. Just five officers were part of the unit when
it formed two years ago.
Detroit-area officials fear that if the migration of meth into
urban areas becomes a deluge - which has occurred in California,
Missouri and Indiana - local communities will confront another form
of addiction and a new pattern of drug trafficking that's hard to
combat.
"It has the potential of changing the entire way we do law
enforcement," said Sgt. Michael Lemmon of the Detroit Police
Department. "It would be a major new problem, with a whole new set
of concerns."
Craig Yaldoo, director of the state Office of Drug Control
Policy, likened the battle to eradicating weeds: "The goal is to
pull at it and weaken its roots in southeastern Michigan so it will
not spread to those suburban and urban communities. It has yet to
reach the epidemic levels of some states to the west, but we need
to take advantage of that and get out in front of this."
Officials say every pound of meth creates 6 pounds of hazardous
waste. Police have informed Department of Environmental Quality
officials that dumping of certain materials might provide evidence
of a nearby meth lab.
Meth causes increased activity, decreased appetite and a general
sense of well-being. The effects of meth can last six to eight
hours. After the initial "rush," there is typically a state of
high agitation that in some individuals can lead to violent or
psychotic behavior.
migrating from rural counties to the state's suburbs and cities,
and law enforcement officers are scrambling to block their spread.
Officials say meth - a highly addictive stimulant made from
over-the-counter products - is trickling into the Detroit area and
other cities in southeastern Michigan.
A lab bust last spring in Melvindale is seen as a wake-up call
for Detroit-area officials.
"That really got people's attention around here," state police
Lt. Tyrone Mitchell told The Detroit News for a Monday story.
Statewide, lab seizures have surged from three in 1997 to 91
last year and 153 since January.
Police, fire, environmental and health officials are receiving
special training. A $250,000 grant covers overtime and interagency
cooperation.
Pharmacists, who sell products used by producers, are being
briefed on evidence of the activity. A statewide hot line takes
tips about illicit labs.
More than 100 state troopers are assigned to a Methamphetamine
Investigation Unit. Just five officers were part of the unit when
it formed two years ago.
Detroit-area officials fear that if the migration of meth into
urban areas becomes a deluge - which has occurred in California,
Missouri and Indiana - local communities will confront another form
of addiction and a new pattern of drug trafficking that's hard to
combat.
"It has the potential of changing the entire way we do law
enforcement," said Sgt. Michael Lemmon of the Detroit Police
Department. "It would be a major new problem, with a whole new set
of concerns."
Craig Yaldoo, director of the state Office of Drug Control
Policy, likened the battle to eradicating weeds: "The goal is to
pull at it and weaken its roots in southeastern Michigan so it will
not spread to those suburban and urban communities. It has yet to
reach the epidemic levels of some states to the west, but we need
to take advantage of that and get out in front of this."
Officials say every pound of meth creates 6 pounds of hazardous
waste. Police have informed Department of Environmental Quality
officials that dumping of certain materials might provide evidence
of a nearby meth lab.
Meth causes increased activity, decreased appetite and a general
sense of well-being. The effects of meth can last six to eight
hours. After the initial "rush," there is typically a state of
high agitation that in some individuals can lead to violent or
psychotic behavior.