Citizens hear of dangers of meth labs in Marion County
"It looks like trash," said a woman in the audience when Sheriff's Deputy Rollin Schmidt held up a large, clear plastic bag of meth lab by-products at an informative meeting on drugs held Friday night in Florence. The sack contained aerosol cans, plastic bottles, and cold tablet packages, all found in a ditch outside Florence.
"That is why people don't know enough to stay away from it when they find it out in the county," said Sheriff Lee Becker. "It looks just like the stuff we all have under the sink, in the garage, or in the medicine cabinet. But these particular items are deadly because they were used to cook meth and are contaminated from the process. We call this a "meth dump" and if you find something like this, call us. But don't touch it!"
Learning what not to do when encountering meth dumps, meth labs, or someone high on meth was a part of what the audience learned at the meeting hosted by the City of Florence and the Florence Police Department.
Becker, Schmidt, Sgt. Jeff Soyez, and Peabody Police Chief Jeff Pohlman spoke for an hour to a group of 50 people from Florence, Cedar Point, and Peabody. All of the officers making the presentation had completed the extra schooling necessary to create a team of officers in Marion County capable of identifying and dealing with methamphetamines.
"In the last two or three years we have worked toward acquiring the extra instruction for our officers that would give us the luxury of back-up," said Becker. "As the meth problem has grown, we have found it necessary to have more officers get the training. Six more are scheduled to become certified this year."
Schmidt and Soyez showed the extensive collection of protective gear required to enter a meth lab. "The KBI provides the officers with the gear when they attend school," said Becker. "When meth first became a problem in rural areas we didn't know how lethal the environment was during the manufacturing process."
"We walked in it, inhaled it, touched, and took it back to our homes and offices on our shoes and uniforms," he said. "Now only those with the training take part in a meth lab bust and they are all protected. We require that our fire and EMS personnel also wear protective gear. We have federal grant money to pay for the equipment and the KDHE takes care of the clean up."
Soyez added that HazMat teams and KDHE take care of any contamination the officers encounter, but if a citizen picks something up and takes it home, he is "on his own."
"There is no assistance available for the average citizen," he said, holding up the plastic bag of by-products. "That is why we want people to contact us when they encounter something like this." Soyez said they find "dumps" in ditches, rivers, streams, dumpsters, streets, and alleys.
Becker said there is no town in Marion County in which he and his officers have not seen signs of meth. "It is everywhere," he said.
He noted that it is easier and faster now to get the necessary search warrants and that having more trained officers has meant an increase in the number of arrests they have been able to make. "There are 21 people in the county jail tonight," he said. "Twenty of them are there on meth and other substance abuse charges."
In answer to a question, "Why us?" Becker answered that meth labs will always be more prevalent in rural counties than in more heavily populated areas. "There are fewer people here to notice something suspicious than there are in Wichita or Topeka," he said. "It's easier to hide a meth lab in a rural area."
He also cited the availability of anhydrous ammonia, a cheap source of nitrogen that is needed to produce the drug. He added that at the end of a day in the field, many farmers leave the anhydrous tank unattended overnight. "If they would just hook it up and take it back to the barn or shed and lock it up, that would keep a lot of it out of the hands of the people who are cooking meth," he said.
Soyez told the group what kinds of things to watch for in their neighborhoods. "One thing you might notice is heavy traffic at a certain residence," he said. "Cars that come and go and don't seem to stay long. Porch lights that are on at odd times of the day or night or certain items hanging on a clothes line at odd times (like when it is raining), often are signals that the meth is cooked and available."
"If there is a large quantity of trash that looks like what we have shown you — cold tablet packets, batteries, antifreeze, paint thinner or lantern fuel containers, starter fluid, Drano cans, or glass beakers — your neighbor is probably involved in meth production," he said.
Becker added there often is an unpleasant smell like rotten eggs, ammonia, or ether. Sometimes the windows of the house will be blocked out by heavy shades or plywood covering.
Officers also covered the symptoms to look for in the behavior of a meth user. "Quick weight loss, incessant talk, nervous energy, unusual sores or rashes, inability to sleep, loss of interest in hobbies or activities they used to enjoy, and most of all, paranoia," said Becker. "Meth re-wires your brain and you never get it back. Meth users become convinced that they are being watched, stalked, and hunted."
He said the sores and rashes come from a "bad cook." "Paint thinner and lantern fuel aren't absorbed well by our systems," he said. "These items are the catalysts used to break down the buffers in the cold tablets to remove the ephedrine. The ephedrine is what creates the high the meth user seeks. When cooked incorrectly, some of the by-product will remain in the meth and cause a reaction until it is flushed from the body. That's why they have unusual sores and rashes."
The officers told of the cost to society in increased property crimes, auto accidents, and domestic violence, not to mention medical and rehabilitation costs and the costs of trials, incarceration, and cleanup.
"The other part is something we don't know yet," said Soyez. "We don't know how meth abuse will affect the human body 20 years down the road. We don't know how it might impact the health of children living in a meth lab environment or neighbor kids playing in a spot in the yard where the by-product has been poured into the soil. We just don't know."
Soyez said if the ground is contaminated, the KDHE will dig it up and haul the dirt off. It is incinerated. However, in the meantime, neighbors, children, and pets will be exposed to the contaminated areas.
By-products dumped down drains or storm drains pose additional problems. The contamination can exist in soil and groundwater supplies for years.
"And while we say KDHE comes in and takes care of what they find, there is still a cost involved," said Soyez. "You are the taxpayers and you are paying for the cleanup." Cleanup of a meth lab averages $5,000, but can climb as high as $150,000.
Becker concluded by asking those in the audience to contact his office or their local law enforcement if they see something suspicious. "It doesn't matter what it is, we will follow up," he said. "The citizens are always the eyes and ears of the communities. When you see something odd, chances are others have noticed it and we have been called. But call us anyway. We always appreciate your information."
"Are we going to do away with this problem? No. Do we make the local meth dealers nervous? Absolutely!"
