Holden alters state's meth strategies as arrests grow

For the third consecutive year, Missouri gets to keep its dubious title of methamphetamine capital of the nation.

To address the rising arrests and meth lab seizures, Gov. Bob Holden announced Tuesday the formation of two new task forces to educate the public about meth and to study effective treatment for addicts. He also revamped an existing task force that for five years has dealt with clandestine lab seizures, officer training and protecting the environment from meth lab chemicals.

The formation of the task forces was long overdue, said Kevin Glaser of the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, which covers a 14-county region.

"The first question I had was, Why'd it take so long?" he said. "We've had this problem since 1995, and we're just now at the state level gearing up and getting ready for it?"

By November's end, 2,649 lab incidents were recorded by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which predicts a year-end total of 2,800 reports for 2003, said Capt. Ron Replogle of the Division of Drug and Crime Control. The patrol recorded 2,743 incidents in 2002. California was second nationally with 1,847 reports that year.

Members of the governor's new task forces -- the Missouri Methamphetamine Education and Prevention Task Force and the Missouri Methamphetamine Treatment Task Force -- will come largely from the existing group, which draws about 50 to 60 members to its quarterly meetings, Replogle said.

The former Clandestine Lab Task Force was renamed the Methamphetamine Enforcement and Environmental Protection Task Force. Replogle is co-chair with Brad Harris of the Department of Natural Resources. Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan is also a member.

Although the original task force sometimes reviewed education, prevention and treatment, it was decided that new groups could better focus on those issues, Replogle said.

Both new task forces have already met at least once, and leaders have been selected, he said. Becky Kilpatrick of the Department of Economic Development chairs the education group, and Randee Kaiser of the Department of Corrections chairs the treatment group.

Replogle said the new groups will each have a patrol representative. Other members are expected to come from various state agencies and a handful of local law enforcement agencies.

Meth summit

The governor will convene a methamphetamine summit in April, when the three task forces will come together with members of law enforcement, educators, prosecutors, judges, community leaders, physicians, corrections officials and treatment specialists.

Gov. Mel Carnahan held Missouri's first meth summit in 1997.

While the state's lab seizure totals continue to rise, Southeast Missouri has experienced a slight decrease, Glaser said. The SEMO Drug Task Force made 86 lab seizures in 2003 in its region, down from 90 reports in 2002.

However, the decrease of lab seizures in the region doesn't necessarily mean there is less manufacturing going on, Glaser said. Cooks are becoming more reclusive.

"Instead of using motel rooms, like we initially located, they're going to more remote areas to cook meth," he said. "The arrests for possession are staying high, so the cooking is still going on. It's just that the labs are harder to find."

Last year, the SEMO Drug Task Force recorded 715 drug incidents, including 406 drug arrests. Of those, at least 211 meth-related charges resulted.

New trends in Southeast Missouri's meth industry are apparent, Glaser said. Officers see more importation of the finished drug than in the past, and some cooks are switching to another manufacturing method by using red phosphorous and iodine instead of anhydrous ammonia. The liquid farm fertilizer is more closely guarded than before.

Sheriff Jordan said law enforcement been successful in arresting a large number of cooks. But he warns they are always learning from the experience.

"Those that are left are changing their methods," he said. "It's a constant evolution, the battle against drugs."

mwells@semissourian.com

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