New Methods Of Manufacturing Meth

Bill helps fight meth production

Locals are applauding a proposal that make will make it harder for methamphetamine makers to acquire one of the drug's key ingredients.

House Bill 12 was expected to receive final approval in the state House of Representatives on Thursday.

Under the bill, pharmacy retailers will participate in the computer-based national Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx), which will let them know if a buyer has reached the limit for pseudoephedrine, found in common cold remedies and essential to meth production, according to the state Attorney General's Office.

Meth is a highly addictive and illegal drug that can be cooked up in labs located in homes, apartments, cars and outdoors. The NPLEx tracking system will allow State Bureau of Investigation agents and other officers to access and analyze information about purchases of pseudoephedrine and identify buys made to supply meth labs, Attorney General Cooper said.

Once the law takes effect on Jan. 1, 2012, the SBI will get weekly updates from NPLEx and real-time access to track purchases through the system.

“Stopping illegal purchases of the key meth ingredient will make it harder for criminals to brew the drug ... and for law enforcement to shut down their dangerous labs,” Cooper said.

Meth manufacturing is less common in Pitt County and Greenville since the 2005 passage of legislation limiting purchase of pseudoephedrine products such as Claritin D and Sudafed, Greenville narcotics officer Sgt. Ken Hadnott said. That law limits purchases to no more than two packages at a time from behind the counter using a photo ID, and no more than three in a 30-day period.

Most recently, an Ayden-based meth manufacturing operation was closed and one suspect pleaded guilty in February to possession of a meth precursor.

Michael Strickland, 24, was sentenced to 15-18 months in prison. Proceedings against others connected to the incident are continuing.

For Home Town Pharmacy on Greenville Boulevard, the timing of the electronic registry couldn't be better, pharmacist Charlene Peden said.

“We've been logging our pseudoephedrine sales manually in a log book, but we're getting ready to begin an electronic point-of-sale system and will then be able to participate in the NPLEx program,” Peden said.

Peden has had suspicions about purchasers in the past and had her own method of dealing with them, she said.

“We're old-school here. Our customers are regulars for years, and I know their health needs and buying habits,” Peden said. “If I'm suspicious of anyone, I call the sheriff and tell an officer about it. Now, they'll be able to track our sales activities on their own and act quickly.

Oklahoma drug defense lawyers - Criminal Defense Attorney ...

Oklahoma has long been seen as one of the nation’s leaders in the production, distribution, and abuse of methamphetamine.  While some reports show the manufacture of meth in Oklahoma is greater than in other states, the number of meth labs has actually decreased 90% since 2004, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).  The Pseudoephedrine Control Law passed in 2004 is largely responsible for this decline.  Oklahoma was the first state to pass a law restricting the sale of pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in the illegal manufacturing of methamphetamine.  Yet while the number of meth labs overall has decreased since 2004, there has been a marked increase in the past three years.  According to figures from the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBNDD), the number of meth labs discovered in Oklahoma jumped dramatically from 148 in 2006 to 743 in 2009.  This increase is attributed to new methods of illegal drug manufacturing, including “one pot” and “shake and bake” methods that require less equipment.  In fact, some of these “labs” require little more than a 20-ounce soda bottle to manufacture methamphetamine.

The illegal manufacture of drugs is not the only problem Oklahoma faces as a hotspot for meth activity.   With Oklahoma City being located near the geographic center of the contiguous United States and with easy access to Interstates 40, 44, and 35, Oklahoma has become a transshipment point for drug trafficking throughout the United States.  Crystal methamphetamine from Mexico is the most frequently used illicit drug in Oklahoma.  As recently as June 29, 2010, Oklahoma drug agents arrested a Mexican national suspected of being a high-ranking member of an infamous drug cartel, the Sinaloa Cartel.  As part of a sting operation, agents with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics discovered an established drug ring being led by the Sinaloa Cartel.  They describe the operation as “lucrative,” saying ten pounds of methamphetamine were shipped to Oklahoma City each week.  The street value of ten pounds of meth ranges from 0,000 to 0,000.  The OBNDD asserts that the arrest of the member of the Sinaloa Cartel is evidence that, not one, but two Mexican drug cartels have firmly established footholds for the manufacture and distribution of drugs in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma drug defense lawyers

With the prevalence of methamphetamine in Oklahoma, the state has become a leader in establishing laws to prevent its manufacture and distribution.  Penalties for manufacture, distribution, sale, and possession of the drug are severe, as Oklahoma officials look to eliminate the state’s image as a leader in meth production and addiction.  Some studies indicate that meth use in Oklahoma is 42% higher than the national average.  With such widespread availability of crystal meth, many Oklahomans find themselves caught up in situations they never would have expected.  Oklahoma drug defense attorneys see people from all walks of life fighting charges of drug possession in the wake of this meth explosion.

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