Methamphetamine

Commercial Appeal, 19 Feb 2012 - It didn't surprise former U.S. Customs investigator Jamie Haase that a drug trafficker testified in federal court about cocaine sent from Mexico into the U.S. via FedEx. Haase said the FedEx Express world hub in Memphis, which handles about 1.5 million packages on a typical night, just doesn't have enough people, drug dogs and detection gear to catch everything.

A Clay County, Florida, sheriff's narcotics detective and a man he was investigating as a methamphetamine suspect were shot and killed in an exchange of fire last Thursday evening. Narcotics Detective David White and suspect Ted Arthur Tilley, 36, become the 10th and 11th persons to die in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year.

[image:1 align:left caption:true]Police told the Associated Press White was part of a nine-man investigating a reported meth lab at a residence in Middleburg. When White and Detective Matthew Hanlin approached the front door and attempted to speak with someone inside, the person slammed the door shut.

According to Clay County sheriff's office spokeswoman Mary Justino, when police then tried to force their way in, they were met with gunfire. White was mortally wounded -- he died shortly thereafter at a local hospital -- and Hanlin was shot in the left arm. He underwent surgery and is in stable condition.

As Tilley fled the home, he was shot and killed by another member of the sheriff's office, police said. Five other men at the scene were detained, but police later said only one had been arrested.

The owner of the home told News 4 Jax TV that it was in foreclosure, he hadn't lived in it for three years, and the men were squatting there without his permission. He said the home was one of dozens of abandoned homes in the immediate neighborhood.

Issaquah Reporter, 17 Feb 2012 - By a vote of 6-1 Tuesday night, the Sammamish city council supported a motion by former mayor Don Gerend, to authorize mayor Tom O'Dell to sign the Association of Washington Cities Mayor's letter in support of reclassification of marijuana. Ironically, O'Dell cast the one dissenting vote.

Surrey Leader, 14 Feb 2012 - The number of grow ops this city has been able to detect has dropped by 82 per cent in the last four years. Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis has released his annual report on the Electrical Fire Safety Initiative (EFSI) which has been instrumental in shutting down marijuana grow operations in this city.

The Register-Guard, 13 Feb 2012 - The Liberalizing of State Marijuana Laws Continues Sixteen U.S. states, including Oregon, and the District of Columbia now allow the cultivation and distribution of marijuana for medical purposes, which some view as a foot in the door to eventual legalization of pot for recreational use. Some states are headed in that direction, and Oregon is likely to follow.

Packet & Times, 11 Feb 2012 - ORILLIA - Orillia students are calling for more mental health supports to help them reach their goals and avoid the pitfalls of drug abuse. Drinking and drug use by youth in the area is among the highest in the province, and a recent study of Simcoe County students points to a lack of mental health resources as the No. 1 reason.

The University Times, 11 Feb 2012 - On New Year's day, six bodies were found in different parts of Mexico, a relatively peaceful day, if Mexican newspaper La Reforma's usually more metronomic 'Ejecutometro' (execution meter) is considered. Revered Mexican author Carlos Fuentes, a man noted for coy narrative ('to be interpreted by the reader with no endorsement from the teller', according to the New York Times), recently addressed the issue of drugs. He was, for once, quite forward. 'Sometimes we win, sometimes they win', stated the former diplomat. While there have been slight improvements in infamous areas such as Ciudad Juarez, the corpses hanging from bridges, a cartel signature, are spreading into other areas. Areas near Mexico City, once thought to be an oasis for diplomats, corporations and the wealthy, such as Acapulco and Cuernavaca, have suffered recently. A burned out vehicle containing two decapitated bodies was discovered at the entrance to an expensive Mexico City shopping centre.

Mexican army troops seized an astounding 15 tons of pure methamphetamine in the western state of Jalisco, the Mexican military announced last Wednesdayt. That's an amount equal to half of all the meth seized worldwide in 2009 and would have supplied some 13 million individual doses worth over $4 billion on the street in the US.

[image:1 align:right caption:true]The army said it had received several anonymous tips, leading it to the enormous stash on a small ranch in the municipality of Tlojomulco de Zuniga, near Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city. Soldiers found no one on the ranch and made no arrests, although it appeared 12 to 15 people had been working there. 

The army called the seizure "historic," and it appears to be the largest meth bust in Mexican history by far. The previous record bust by the army came in June 2010, when soldiers seized 3.4 tons of pure meth in the central state of Queretaro. During that bust, soldiers also seized hundreds of tons of precursor chemicals.

Meth manufacture is a big business for Mexico's drug cartels. The US National Drug Intelligence Center estimates that 80% of the meth in the US comes from Mexico. After a downward blip five years ago, the supply of meth has been on the increase, and so have seizures. On the US-Mexico border, meth seizures jumped 87% between 2007 and 2009, according to the 2011 UN World Drug Report.

Experts interviewed by the Associated Press reeled at the size of the seizure.

"Seizures of this size... could mean one of two things," said Antonio Mazzitelli, the regional representative of the UN Office of Drugs and Crime. "On one hand, it may be a product that hasn't been able to be sold, and like any business, when the market is depressed, stockpiles build up," he said. "Or such large-scale production could suggest an expansion, an attempt by some Mexican groups, the most business-oriented I would say, to move into Latin American and Asian markets."

"I have never seen quantity in that range," said Steve Preisler, an industrial chemist who adopted the nom de plume Uncle Fester to author the book "Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture," and who is seen by some as the father of modern meth-making. But, he added: "The amounts of precursors they were importing would produce multi-tons of product."

Guadalajara is Sinaloa cartel territory, and an unnamed "senior US law enforcement official in Mexico" told the AP this week's bust was "probably Sinaloa."

The Mexican army in the area might want to watch its back for the next few days because the cartels are known to seek reprisals. Earlier this week, in fact, cartel gunmen in Coahuila attacked an army patrol hours after soldiers seized eight tons of marijuana, leaving two or three dead.

Illinois Times, 09 Feb 2012 - Prohibition Costs Illinois Big Bucks As marijuana traffickers go, Jason Alan Spyres was far from the best. He was just 19 when police in Woodford County found a bag of pot in Spyres' car and arrested him for possession. Less than a year later, he was arrested again and charged with cannabis trafficking in Macon County his mother had shipped 38 pounds of pot to him from California via United Parcel Service, with police intercepting the package. While out on bond, he was caught again, this time during a raid that also netted a meth dealer, and received a second trafficking charge.

Strathmore Standard, 08 Feb 2012 - It isn't just the jump in drug-related charges that have local RCMP working even harder to try and curb the problem; it's the reality that more lives will be lost unless something is done, and they're looking for a little help from the community. "Our best defence against this is intelligence lead policing," said Cst. Michael Fulton. "This is when people (need to) step forward with information, so we can know where to investigate."

Record Searchlight, 06 Feb 2012 - Cal-MMET Moves to Single-County Efforts Amid Cuts Two agents in black law enforcement SUVs patrolling north of Redding will continue to nab suspected drug runners on Interstate 5 in spite of a round of state budget cuts and restructuring, local officials say.

Jakarta Globe, 05 Feb 2012 - Indonesia's aviation industry has admitted concern over widespread drug use, and the House of Representatives will summon Lion Air management after the arrest of a Lion pilot for drug use in Surabaya on Saturday, the second such case in two months. Indonesia National Air Carriers Association secretary general Tengku Burhanuddin said the use of drugs among airline crews had tainted the industry's image, and he called on the government to take quick action to crack down on the circulation of drugs.

North Kitsap Herald, 03 Feb 2012 - SUQUAMISH -- The shooting of Thomas Anthony Black on Dec. 8 was found justified by the Kitsap County Prosecutor's review of the investigation. The pathologist found a high amount of methamphetamine in Black's system, which he reported as a contributing factor of his death. Prosecutor Russell Hague released his memorandum Feb. 3 after reviewing the Sheriff Department's investigative report for nearly one month. Black, 44, was killed Dec. 8 when police attempted to serve an arrest warrant on Stacy Callihoo, 42, who was in the Black home. The warrant was issued by Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribal Court and being served by Port Gamble S'Klallam, Suquamish and Kitsap County Sheriff's officers.

Winnipeg Free Press, 02 Feb 2012 - RICHMOND B.C. -- Another person -- a teenaged boy -- has died from an ecstasy overdose in Vancouver this month, bringing to 19 the number of ecstasy-related death in the past six months in B.C. Ecstasy is described as a "recreational" drug. It makes you feel warm and outgoing. It makes you want to hug everyone.

The Craig Daily Press, 01 Feb 2012 - Convictions and drug seizures reported by the All Crimes Enforcement Team in its 2011 report raise questions about how effective and necessary the unit is today in Moffat and Routt counties. On the surface, the numbers don't appear to warrant the time, resources and expense. There were some surprising figures released in Monday's Craig Daily Press story outlining last year's activity by the All Crimes Enforcement Team, a task force that operates in Moffat and Routt counties.

Worcester Telegram & Gazette, 31 Jan 2012 - Worcester County Sheriff Lewis G. Evangelidis is on a mission to prevent future drug and alcohol abuse among youths in Worcester County. He is presenting his Face2Face program to students at high schools and middle schools, where he seems to be lobbying to limit overcrowding at the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction in West Boylston.

The Gulf News, 30 Jan 2012 - On Thursday morning, news broke that Port aux Basques RCMP had seized a large quantity of marijuana and ecstasy from a house in Port aux Basques. The story posted to The Gulf News website went slightly viral, at least in local terms, gathering over four thousand hits in a few hours. Few stories get that many hits in a week.

Peace Arch News, 26 Jan 2012 - In the last month, Surrey has seen eight shootings, four of them fatal. Police say it's been an unfortunate spike in gun violence, but they also note that's how violent crime presents itself - in peaks and valleys.

Surrey Leader, 26 Jan 2012 - In the last month, Surrey has seen eight shootings, four of them fatal. Police say it's been an unfortunate spike in gun violence, but they also note that's how violent crime presents itself in peaks and valleys.

Kootenay News Advertiser, 23 Jan 2012 - In the past few months there have been an unusual number of Ecstasy related deaths in B.C. and Alberta. Ecstasy has been a popular drug of choice for adolescents and young adults for over 10 years. The East Kootenay Adolescent Drug Use Surveys have shown that Ecstasy is the only substance to have a steady increase in use in the East Kootenay from 2005 to 2011, going from 4.7% of youth reporting lifetime use in 2005 to 8.7% in 2011. 16% of Grade 12 students in the East Kootenay have used Ecstasy at least once. Ecstasy or MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphtamine) is a chemical in the amphetamine group, and is related to other amphetamines such as Ritalin, Dexedrine or crystal methamphetamine (`crystal meth'). Sold as a pill or tablet, it is a stimulant which produces a sense of euphoria, increased energy, feelings of connectedness with others and has mild hallucinogenic properties. Ecstasy initially became popular as a `club drug' and would be used at all night dance parties or raves. In its pure form Ecstasy is relatively non-toxic in low doses. Death was uncommon and would occur when users became dehydrated or overheated from excessive exertion, or as a result of an extreme negative reaction to the chemical.