BALLOONING METH LAB BUSTS IN S. ILLINOIS PROMPT FORUM

Police in Southern Illinois raided and shut down six meth labs in 1997.
That was a record at the time.

So far this year, 335 meth labs have been raided in the same area.

That explosion in meth production is part of what is behind a forum today
in Mount Vernon, Ill., called by Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville.

On a recent tour of his district, Shimkus heard so much about meth from
residents that he scheduled the forum, the first of its kind for Southern
Illinois.

Nearly 100 law enforcement officers, state's attorneys and mayors said they
were coming, forcing planners to switch it from City Hall to the city's
much larger community building.

Why the interest? The spread of meth, short for methamphetamine, has put a
strain on police chiefs and sheriffs in medium-to small-sized cities and
counties in Southern Illinois. And despite an already widespread network of
task forces and training available from the federal level, police are
clamoring for more. "We could be doing more to fight it if the money was
available," said Lee Ryker, sheriff of Clay County, in east central
Illinois. Meth now accounts for half of all criminal convictions and has
led to a record number of arrests in Clay County, Ryker said.

Ryker, sheriff for the past 12 years in the 14,000-population county, said
the meth rise is a drain on his budget and force, currently at four deputies.

The drug, a stimulant that causes paranoia and is considered more addictive
than cocaine, has made law enforcement officials like Ryker publicly pine
for the days of busting marijuana use.

"It's a blessing to deal with pot-heads," he said. "I'm hoping news will
come out about getting more funds down to the local level," he said of the
forum.

In Effingham County, immediately north of Clay County, faulty meth labs
have ignited house fires.

The drug has filled the county jail and stretched the county's resources,
said sheriff's detective Bill Arnold.

It's not just dealing with the labs, Arnold said, but indirect crimes, such
as thefts from farm fields of a key meth ingredient, anhydrous ammonia, and
the rise in domestic disputes arising from meth addiction.

Then there is dealing with those who've become addicted. Arnold tells the
story of a man who twice drove his car past police who were investigating
the man's meth lab hidden under a bridge.

"We asked why he drove by a second time," Arnold said. "He said he
hallucinated so much on this drug, he had to make sure we were really
there. I know a few people who have been off meth for a couple of years.
Then there are the others who say 'please send me to prison, I can't stop.'
It's that kind of drug."

Effingham County is one of the more successful in controlling meth through
criminal enforcement, according to drug enforcement and task force agents.

Meth in the cities

Meth is typically referred to as a rural drug. But don't say that to
Granite City Police Chief Dave Ruebhausen, whose officers have raided at
least 50 meth labs in the past two years.

The proliferation prompted the city in March to enact laws that keep
over-the-counter cold pills that contain ephedrine behind the counter and
limit the purchase to three packs per customer. Ephedrine is used in meth
production.

"It's certainly a step in the right direction," Ruebhausen said.

Every pound of meth produces five pounds of toxic waste, said Mike
Stanfill, resident agent in charge of the Fairview Heights office of the
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Cleanup for a single meth lab can run
into the thousands of dollars, money that small communities can't afford.

So far, the federal government has stepped in and paid for the cleanups.

State laws on meth will get tougher in January, when Illinois will begin
holding meth manufacturers financially responsible for cleanups and will
double penalties if a child lives in the home where the drug is made.

Most meth busts still result from routine police work, like traffic stops,
domestic calls and informers, said Mark Koelker, director of Illinois State
Police's drug task force known as MEGSI that operates in St. Clair, Madison
and Monroe counties. But he said police are training others to spot the
telltale signs of meth production and alert police.

"Other people are going into these homes," he said. "Power companies, fire
departments, code enforcers. They are seeing things out of the ordinary and
noticing the pungent smells."