UPSHUR SEES RISE IN METH LAB BUSTS

Stronger Enforcement May Be Pushing Drugs To Smaller County, Kanawha Sheriff

While area law enforcement agencies are glad for the dramatic drop in
methamphetamine lab busts this year, they worry they're merely
sweeping the problem to other counties in the state.

Upshur County, for example, has seen a surge in meth busts, with 11
labs discovered so far this year.

State Police statistics show West Virginia had a decrease in meth
labs across the state this year, although nearly two-thirds of all
labs were operated in Kanawha County.

Police are crediting Kanawha County Sheriff Mike Rutherford for
implementing a meth tip line in February that resulted in an
unprecedented number of busts in its first three months.

Meth cooks now seem to be leaving the Kanawha Valley, but Rutherford
worries they may be heading to other parts of the state.

"What does concern me is we're running them into the other smaller
surrounding counties," Rutherford said. "We're all West Virginians
and we want them out of our state."

The Metro Drug Unit, composed of police officers in the county,
reported just one meth lab bust in October after recording nearly 40
in March. The sheriff's department and State Police have produced
similar numbers this year.

"Maybe it's just moving out or maybe they're being secretive,"
Charleston Police Chief Brent Webster said. "The crook will adjust, too."

State Police Lt. Mike Goff said there might be some validity to that
belief, although the migration of meth seems to be concentrated in
northern parts of the state, especially Upshur County.

Upshur Sheriff Virgil Miller has seen an explosion of meth busts in
Upshur County the past year, some with ties to Kanawha County.

His department has processed 11 meth labs this year and arrested
numerous others while in the process of buying or transporting
materials. Miller, a three-term sheriff, said it was rare to find a
meth lab in his county before this year.

Miller believes meth labs are moving north because "smaller
departments can't focus their time on that" like larger counties can.
His department consists of 10 deputies who are assisted by just six
state troopers in the county.

To respond, his department has become more proactive.

"We stepped up enforcement and started working with the pharmacies by
looking through their logbooks," Miller said. "We also have a new tip
line based on the one from Kanawha County."

For now, the problem appears to be contained to Upshur County.

Other county sheriffs have noticed a drop in meth activity since the
state passed legislation limiting the number of over-the-counter
purchases of pseudoephedrine.

"I think everyone has picked up the pace on the enforcement side and
with gathering tips," said Boone County Sheriff Rodney Miller. "I'm
sure the people cooking this stuff know that law enforcement is
taking this seriously."

Putnam County Sheriff Mark Smith said his department processed 25
meth labs in the first five months of the year. Since then, it has
seen only five labs.

Mike Bright, sheriff of Jackson County, believes the meth activity in
his county has dropped by a third this year. Bright credited the new
legislation and tougher enforcement.

Even if police are able to continue the crackdowns on labs in West
Virginia, officials agree meth usage will be a problem for many years.

"If there's a business, people are going to make them," Goff said.
"We would rather deal with people importing it rather than cooking it
inside the state."