WSNIA - The Educator

INFORMATION ♦ EDUCATION ♦ ENFORCEMENT

THE EDUCATOR - Spring 1999

Meth Labs Beginning to be a Problem
in Benton/Franklin Counties?

Submitted by the Tri-City Metro Drug Task Force

The Tri-Cities were hoping that we would be able to avoid the popularity of methamphetamine being produced locally. At the end of 1998 the TriMetro Drug Task Force had seized five labs. Four of the labs were seized in Benton County and one in Franklin County. Local law enforcement is routinely running across dump sights in and around the Tri-Cities. Two portable labs were seized, after uniformed officers made traffic stops on vehicles. This may not seem like a major amount of labs seized but the writing is on the wall. The Chiefs and Sheriffs of Benton and Franklin Counties are moving quickly to educate their communities on the hazards-both personal and environmental that come with these methamphetamine labs. This in turn has brought about plenty of reports from citizens about possible lab sights. The average cost for response and disposal of the hazardous materials contained in a meth lab is approximately three thousand dollars. Unfortunately, rental property is damaged, at times beyond repair. The meth cooks have been known to dump carcinogenic materials from the manufacturing process into septic systems and the aquifer.

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A Department of Ecology lab team carefully dumps a container found filled with pseudoephedrine and acetone, a precursor to methamphetamine production.

One of these investigations deserves a little recognition. The suspect certainly should be given a "Certificate of Appreciation" for helping the Task Force develop an airtight case. In October 1998, a Task Force informant indicated that a meth lab was up and producing in Benton County. The informant was sent into the residence where the lab was to purchase some meth. When the informant returned from the residence without any meth, we were somewhat disappointed. However the informant did return with some extracted ephedrine to hold him over until the suspect finished his cook. Several hours later we returned and made our first buy of freshly produced meth. A few days later we returned to make a second buy. This time we wired the informant to record the transaction.

When the informant arrived at the residence, the suspect was just beginning to cook up some meth. He invited the informant into the house to wait while he cooked. The suspect was in a good or stupid mood this day. He showed the informant his lab and as well as the cooking process, described to the informant each step to take in the production process. During each step he would tell the informant what chemical or product he was using and why. This was all quite enjoyable until the informant mentioned how bad his eyes and throat were burning. The suspect went on to brag about how tough he was and that he never uses a mask. The suspect did mention that he had a lot of blood in his urine though. Needless to say we sent numerous pages to the informant to get out of the house, but he decided to stay, until the meth he came for was ready. The Washington State Patrol Special Incident Response Team came over a few days later and the lab was dismantled. Needless to say the defendant does not have much of a defense. The evidence recordings seem to be haunting his attorney.