Meth lab seizures spiked upward in 2008

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By WSBT News1

Story Created: Mar 9, 2009 at 8:12 AM EST

Story Updated: Mar 9, 2009 at 8:12 AM EST

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The center of methamphetamine production in Indiana has shifted to the state's northeastern corner as law enforcement agencies contend with a surge in clandestine labs manufacturing the illegal drug.

Indiana State Police and other agencies uncovered 1,092 labs last year in the state, a 31 percent increase from the 832 seized in 2007 and the second highest number since state police began tracking the statistics in 1995, The Indianapolis Star reported Sunday.

Noble County, northwest of Fort Wayne, led the state with 80 meth labs found in 2008, followed by Elkhart County, with 65.

"We believe we have a true surge. The numbers are going up for us," said T. Neil Moore, executive director of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, which helps to oversee statewide initiatives that were launched in 2005 to combat meth.

Noble County Prosecutor Steven T. Clouse said the predominantly rural county has a lot of space where clandestine labs can be made.

Other law enforcement officials, however, say it's difficult to figure out just what has caused the shift.

First Sgt. Niki Crawford, commander of the state police's meth suppression section, said the number of labs found in northeast Indiana shows meth is extending its reach across Indiana.

"The fact that it's so easy to make has gotten out to the criminal element, and they've taken it and run with it," she said.

The growing number of labs uncovered by police has led law enforcement officials and some state lawmakers to call for more stringent ways to prevent the drug's key ingredients from reaching criminals' hands.

Indiana's Methamphetamine Protection Act of 2005 requires pseudoephedrine and ephedrine to be placed behind the counters of retail stores and pharmacies or kept under video surveillance. The law also limits the amount of the drugs customers can purchase within a week and requires buyers to sign a log for the purchase and present a photo ID.

But law enforcement officials say criminals have exposed a flaw in the law. A practice commonly called "smurfing" involves individuals or groups of people purchasing the maximum amount of the drugs from various retail outlets. Crawford said it's Indiana's biggest problem when it comes to fighting meth labs

"They're going from CVS to Target to Walgreens, and they're buying the maximum amount at each store," Crawford said. "They've realized it's hard for law enforcement to keep up with them."

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