Methamphetamine Scourge Hits Jasper
(Editor’s Note: The following is the first in a series about methamphetamine and its effects on society with the local angle of the Jasper County problem. The second in the series will be published next week.)
Methamphetamine, crystal meth, ice, glass, speed, whatever it may be called, the scourge that’s sweeping the nation has arrived in Jasper County.
Since the 1980s it has been smuggled from Taiwan and South Korea into Hawaii, where use became widespread by 1988. By 1990, distribution of the drug had spread to the U.S. mainland.
Now the manufacture, distribution, use and vile effects of it has raced across the nation and made its presence right here among us.
The first methamphetamine arrest in Jasper Co. was for possession and occurred in March, 2001. In 2002, there were nine arrests for possession. In 2003, there were six arrests for possession and two for distribution.
In 2004, the number of arrests escalated to 24 for possession and 10 for distribution. In 2005, there were 37 arrests for possession, three for distribution, and one arrest for manufacturing was made last February. That’s a total of 92 arrests for an offense that didn’t exist five years ago, and represents about one out of six of all arrests.
Jasper County Sheriff Charles Roper believes the increase in the number of arrests are twofold.
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“Unfortunately, we’re in a day and time when methamphetamine is in a general rise all across the country. We’re making every effort to combat it, but it’s just a never ending battle. Early on our problem was manpower, so another reason for the increase of arrests is because of our enforcement efforts. We want to continue this enforcement so we can make Jasper County a place where no one will want to be associated with the drug.”
Sheriff Roper went on to say, “There’s also the problem that methamphetamine usage and crime kind of go hand-in-hand.” This is evidenced by the fact that 50 percent of the methamphetamine arrests also involved possession of marijuana or other drugs, and various other criminal charges.
Sheriff Roper also added, “We request the assistance of the citizens of the county to help us. We have a tips line, which is 706-468-JCSO, and any assistance is entirely anonymous if the caller prefers.”
Investigator Mike Steele of the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office commented on how to recognize someone on meth. “It’s impossible to profile someone on methamphetamine. We’ve seen users as early as the age of 14 and as late as the age of 65. However, there are certain physical indicators or signs of use.
Their movements and their speech are extremely stimulated, and they can’t stay on topic. They have an increased feeling of excitement or euphoria, an increased energy level almost to the point of being super human, no appetite or very little, and they will sometimes be nauseous.
Sleeplessness is common—up to three or four days without sleeping whatsoever, depending upon the amount of meth they’ve used. They are extremely nervous and irritable, their heart rate will escalate to 140 to 150 beats a minute, sometimes double the normal rate. They may also have burns around their mouth or on their hands from smoking the drug from a glass pipe. A lot of time they will also have sores on their face and arms.”
He went on to caution, “The people we encounter that are on meth are generally very confused and hostile, which makes them dangerous to the public and to law enforcement when we encounter them.”
Methamphetamine is both imported into the U.S. in already processed form, and domestically produced. There are literally thousands of recipes and plenty of information about making meth on the Internet.
An investment of a few hundred dollars in over-the-counter medications and chemicals can produce thousands of dollars worth of methamphetamine. The drug can be made in a makeshift “lab” that can fit into a suitcase. The average meth “cook” annually teaches 10 other people how to make the drug.
The “mom and pop” labs are found in rural, city and suburban residences; barns, garages and other outbuildings; back rooms of businesses; apartments; hotel and motel rooms; storage facilities; vacant buildings; and vehicles.
Over-the-counter cold and asthma medications containing ephedrine, drain cleaner, battery acid, lye, lantern fuel and antifreeze are among the ingredients most commonly used.
Although there are no known ways, other than the obvious, to spot a distributor, there are indicators to alert us to the existence of domestically producing labs. Here are some things to look for:
•Unusual strong odors like cat urine, ether, ammonia acetone or other chemicals.
•Residences with windows blacked out.
•Renters who pay their landlords in cash.
•Lots of traffic—people coming and going at unusual times. There may be traffic during the day, but at night the activity increases dramatically.
•Excessive trash including large amounts of items such as antifreeze containers, lantern fuel cans, red chemically stained coffee filters, drain cleaner, Epson salt, iodine crystal, red devil lye, wooden matches, propane cylinders, hot plates, rock salt, cold tablets, starting fluid, freon, alcohol, either, and diet aids.
Anyone who sees or hears of any of the above is asked to please call the tip line at 706-468-JCSO.