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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 7, 2006 Meth-lab busts drop dramatically By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Seizures of local methamphetamine labs are at a five-year low, mirroring a statewide drop that officials attribute to laws making it tougher to obtain cold pills. Police in Jackson County seized just four meth labs last year compared with 17 in 2004. Local police agencies haven’t shut down fewer than 10 labs within the county since 2000, when the number dropped to two before shooting up to 20 in 2001. Statewide, meth lab seizures dropped from 448 in 2004 to 185 in 2005. Police across Oregon have shut down fewer and fewer labs since 2001, when they logged 591 seizures. Oregon’s 59 percent decrease in meth lab seizures over one year comes after new state laws in late 2004 put cold pills containing pseudoephedrine in secure locations at retail sites. "Meth cooks" extract pseudoephedrine contained in many decongestants to make the illegal drug. "That was a relatively easy fix," said Medford police Lt. Tim George. Advertisement Taking repeat offenders off the streets may also explain Jackson County’s decrease in meth labs, said Lt. Dewey Patten, commander of the Jackson County Narcotics Enforcement Team. The majority of JACNET’s seizures in 2004 were tied to just a few people, Patten added. "We’re dealing with the same person over and over and over," Patten said. Since April 2004, career "cooks" have been prosecuted under a federal initiative specifically aimed at repeat offenders, who if found guilty, are seldom incarcerated for less than 12 years, said Judi Harper, a state and federal narcotics prosecutor. One such repeat offender, 46-year-old Stephen Wayne Murphy, is awaiting sentencing on a conviction for manufacturing meth and possessing the precursor substances used to make it. JACNET in 2003 and 2004 shut down four of Murphy’s labs located in Ashland, a south Medford home, a motel off South Pacific Highway and a storage unit on Highway 62, Patten said. Fewer labs like Murphy’s mean fewer property owners will have to clean up the mess and fewer children whose parents are involved in the meth trade will have to live in the midst of it, George said. Yet criminal justice officials caution that meth isn’t more scarce. As much as 90 percent of Jackson County’s meth is imported from Mexico or "super-labs" in California, Patten said. The street price of meth has remained stable, indicating a steady supply, George said. "We didn’t dry up the meth, we’ve just had an impact on the labs," Patten said. JACNET in 2003 reported record meth seizures, confiscating about 50 pounds of the illegal stimulant. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail Meth-lab busts drop dramatically ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Cheap Website Hosting Discount Hotel Reservations Online Pharmacy Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans High End Computers Online Casino News Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Online Casino Fundraisers Advertisement s