Officials: Meth lab busts decline doesn't mean production declining

The number of recovered methamphetamine labs and lab-related dump sites dropped in Jackson County last year, but officials say the decrease is no indication that meth production is on the decline.

According to information compiled by the Southern Illinois Enforcement Group, 49 lab sites were reported in 2004, down from 62 reported in 2003. Tom McNamara, special projects coordinator at the enforcement group, contributes the decline to aggressive policing and recent federal prosecution of offenders in Jackson County. But McNamara warns that meth production is still a serious problem. "This is not saying that the problem is resolved in any way," McNamara said. "It's still a terrible, terrible problem, and that's not just in Jackson County but throughout the Midwest as well."

The meth epidemic first began in the 1980s on the West Coast but only recently became a widespread problem in Illinois. In 1997, the Illinois State Police seized 24 meth labs across the state, and in 2002, the latest reported year, 677 labs were seized statewide. Jackson County Sheriff Bob Burns said the department increased patrols in rural areas last year and developed a plotting system so officers could determine where meth "hot spots" are in the county. "I think it is a fairly dramatic decrease, and a lot of that is due to the very aggressive stance that we have taken with this problem," Burns said. "I think these numbers certainly show that we are on the right track, but there is no question the problem is not going away."

Burns said recent legislation aimed at combating meth production and a new product called GloTell, a chemical that can be added to anhydrous ammonia that colors the farming fertilizer and prevents meth crystal formulation, may force meth cooks to become more creative. McNamara said the primary way of making meth in southern Illinois, dubbed the "Nazi method," consists of combining ephedrine or pseudoephedrine with anhydrous ammonia and lithium. However, to avoid GloTell, a maker could produce meth by combining ephedrine or pseudoephedrine with red phosphorous, iodine crystals and water. Burns said a change in production method will create additional dangers for law enforcement but said a $596,000 grant the Sheriff's Offices received earlier this year to train officers how to safely dismantle labs will help combat the danger.

McNamara said it is important to note that meth doesn't just affect the user but the whole community. "You have flammability of material, you have explosions and you have the violent behavior characteristic of a user," McNamara said. "Add that together, and you have a nightmare for police but also the entire community that has to deal with this."