Aug. 27, 2000
Some good news in the fight
against methamphetamine.
The local Drug Enforcement
Administration is reporting a
decrease in the number of
labs across the state, and a bust Thursday night in
Idaho could help explain why.
Crime Specialist Karen
Scullin with the story.
Thursday night Federal Drug agents confiscated 400
pounds of iodine, an ingredient used to make meth,
from S&M Dairy in Rupert, Idaho.
It's believed this
store was the main supplier of iodine to Utah meth
manufacturers. But agents say they weren't after the
iodine as much as records showing who's buying the
stuff.
Don Mendrala/D.E.A.: IT'S GOING TO
SHOW US HOW MUCH WAS PURCHASED, AND
HOPEFULLY HOW MUCH WAS SOLD. AT
LEAST THE LEGITIMATE SOURCES AND
THEN WE'LL LOOK AT ANY
DISCREPANCIES.
And Mendrala believes there are a lot of
discrepancies.
Investigators say this store sold 1,000
pounds of iodine a month, which equals about 333
pounds of meth. Iodine is legally used by dairy
farmers, but Mendrala says there's no way farmers are
using that much.
A GALLON OF THAT, I GUESS DEPENDING
ON THE SIZE OF HIS HERD, IS GOING
TO LAST A LONG TIME.
Agents say S&M became the well-known iodine
supplier after C and R in Ogden was busted
previously.
But drug investigators no longer have a big
problem with Utah farm supply stores.
Don Mendrala: MOST EVERYBODY HERE
IS PLAYING BY THE RULES.
Karen Scullin/Eyewitness News: AND
BECAUSE MOST ARE ABIDING BY THE
PRECURSOR LAWS LIMITING THE AMOUNT
A STORE CAN SELL, SOME GOOD NEWS.
THE NUMBER OF METH LABS ARE DOWN
FOR THE FIRST TIME, IN A LONG TIME.
The D.E.A. looks at numbers from September to
September and it looks like the state of Utah will be
down about forty to sixty labs this year.
Mendrala
believes it's because police have been going after the
source--those selling the precursor ingredients to meth
manufacturers.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE STUFF,YOU
CAN'T COOK METH, IT'S JUST THAT
SIMPLE.
