F’dale hosts meth meeting

Published 3:23 pm Wednesday, February 18, 2009

By Adam Smith

The North Jefferson News



Fultondale residents and public safety workers from across Jefferson County got a crash course Monday night on the drug methamphetamine.

The purpose of the informational meeting was to address the rising problem of meth manufacturing and use across the county while teaching residents what to do in case they encounter a working meth lab or find volatile equipment or ingredients.

About 80 residents and public safety officials attended the meeting, held at Fultondale City Hall.

On Jan. 5, emergency workers in Fultondale responded to a small fire caused by combustible meth ingredients left inside a soft drink bottle that had been discarded. A hazardous materials team from Birmingham was needed to properly dispose of the container.

Allen Rogers of the Fultondale Police Department said he was not familiar with the method of cooking the drug, often referred to as the “shake and bake” method, until last month’s situation. He said that was part of the reason he organized Monday’s meeting so residents and public safety officials would be more familiar with the drug and the process by which it is made.

“If you see a bottle in your yard, you’ll probably pick it up and put it in the garbage,” he said. “The main thing is, don’t touch it. Call your law enforcement or front-line responders and let us dispose of it.”

The meeting was led by Jason Mize and Mark Eaton with Jefferson County’s vice narcotics unit. Both men have about five years each with the county and have been involved in numerous meth arrests.

“Meth has been around a long time and people don’t know a whole lot about it,” Mize said. “Hitler was a meth user and some special forces people in Vietnam were meth users. It heightens senses and keeps you awake for days on end.”

The deputies discussed different methods of how the drug is made, including the “shake and bake” method and the “red phosphorous” method, which is more rarely seen. They stayed away from detailed specifics on how the drug is manufactured, but did reveal the drug’s main ingredients: ephedrine, drain cleaner, Coleman fuel and lithium battery strips.

Mize said about $40 to $50 worth of supplies will make about $600 worth of methamphetamine. He also said most makers who manufacture via “shake and bake” are doing it for personal use and doing it for their consumption.

The deputies said hazards that residents should be aware of include: 2-liter or 20-ounce soft drink canisters with a thick, white liquid inside or with a long, plastic tube attached to the top of it; empty Coleman fuel or drain cleaner canisters; an abundance of used coffee filters and aluminum foil; or a pungent ammonia or chemical smell.

The methamphetamine cooking process releases toxic gas that creates the odor and can often cause health problems to those who may be exposed to it. Public safety officials investigating meth labs are often required to wear hazardous materials suits before entering the site where a lab is present.

The state’s crackdown on being able to buy ephedrine over the counter has helped reduce the amount of meth cases significantly, Eaton said. State law now prohibits a person buying more than two boxes of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine at one time at a pharmacy. However, manufacturers can go to numerous pharmacies in one day buying two boxes at each pharmacy.

Eaton also said that manufacturers are teaching others how to make the drug, a process that involves a modicum of chemistry knowledge.

“If they don’t have a cook to teach them, they can get on the Internet and find the recipe within a few minutes,” he said. “I don’t know what can be done to stop that.”

The deputies, who showed the audience a large bag of pure crystal meth, said many drug shipments begin in Mexico and Texas and travel to Atlanta, which is a major east coast distribution hub. A pound of pure crystal methamphetamine is worth $8,000 to $10,000 in Mexico, but worth $19,000 to $25,000 here. An ounce of the drug has a street value of $1,600 and a gram is worth about $100.

Residents who discover a meth lab or materials used to make meth are urged to call their local police agency or the county’s narcotics tip line at 731-2769.