Arizona police are preparing for what may be the largest rise in meth labs the Valley has seen due to Mexico making the sale of pseudoephedrine illegal.
Pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient in methamphetamine, can be found in cold medicines like Sudafed.
Pseudoephedrine became illegal in Mexico on the last day of August, and there has already been a steady rise in meth lab activity.
Sergeant Tim Lockwood, special investigator for High Intensity Drug Trafficking (H.I.D.T.A.), had 26 lab raids so far this year and is seeing the number increase.
“Mexico has been the source of the majority of methamphetamines in the United States,” said Sergeant Don Sherrard, H.I.D.T.A. supervisor. “They have labs that produce more then 100 pounds a day.”
With pseudoephedrine illegal, Mexican drug dealers and producers will have to come into border-states to purchase the ingredient or buy large quantities of meth.
“The demand is the same, but the supply has changed,” said Sherrard.
The U.S. has tried to regulate pseudoephedrine by making Sudafed an over-the-counter drug, according to the 2005 Combat Meth Effort Act (CMEA). Sudafed can be purchased in weights of 3.6 grams a visit or 9 grams a month; it takes 8,000 grams of pseudoephedrine to make one pound of Meth.
According to Sergeant Lockwood, although the regulations are there, it is not stopping the production of meth.
“People will go from store to store and buy the limit of Sudafed at each one,” he said, an action labeled as “smurfing.”
“There needs to be more information shared along with databases to help prevent these purchases,” said Amy Rex, project director for the Arizona Meth Project.
Methamphetamine is a highly toxic and addictive drug, made with acetone, Drano, pool acid and brake cleaner, along with other dangerous chemicals.
“You can have every ingredient, but without pseudoephedrine you can’t do it,” said Sherrard.
In 2007 a survey done by Roper for the Arizona Meth Project found that one in twenty-five teens ages 12-17 have tried meth, and one in six young adults ages 18-24 have.
Meth costs about $1,800 a pound to make and sells on the streets for about $17,000 to $21,000 a pound.
“It’s not a very difficult process to make meth; if you can follow instructions and read, you can do it,” Sherrard said.
What used to be considered a rural drug is now making its way into the city, but there are warning signs if your community may have a meth lab. Police advise that you be aware of abnormal traffic to houses, especially at night, discoloration of pavement or soil from chemicals and odors resembling cat urine.
Sherrard said that there is 6-7 lbs. of solid and liquid waste after a batch of meth is produced, so be observant of toxic and chemical waste.
“This is a drug that cuts across all social classes, with the economy down, meth may become a drug of choice,” said Rex.
Reach the reporter at alyssa.aalmo@asu.edu.
