Sheriff's department arrests five in meth investigation
Waste from meth production can be dangerous to anyone in the vicinity.
Published Jan. 29, 2010
This month, the Boone County Sheriff's Department arrested five suspects in connection to a methamphetamine production operation, a sheriff's department news release stated.
In an effort to gather information and investigate methamphetamine use, the sheriff's department and the Columbia Police Department visited select locations and contacted people from Jan. 19 to Jan. 21. The investigation resulted in the arrest of five people, the release stated.
Investigators discovered chemicals, equipment and locations used for the production of methamphetamine, the news release stated. The investigation also resulted in significant intelligence for future investigations.
In a separate incident, a woman was arrested for possession of methamphetamine Jan 18. Erika Watson, 32, surrendered methamphetamine in powder form and several pipes to deputies. According to the news release, three juveniles were also present at the time of the investigation.
Sheriff's Department Sgt. Britt Shea, who investigates methamphetamine cases, said intelligence about meth crimes comes from cooperating citizens, anonymous phone calls and purchase records for ingredients used in methamphetamine production.
The sheriff's department conducts methamphetamine operation busts several times every year, Shea said.
Unlike other drugs such as cocaine and heroine, methamphetamine is not typically brought in from other countries, Shea said. Most of it is produced nearby.
"The vast majority of meth in Boone County is actually being made in Boone County or mid-Missouri, and that's unique to methamphetamine," Shea said.
CPD spokeswoman Jessie Haden said methamphetamine production is easier to conceal in rural areas than in the city, and the locality of meth production is of concern because the waste created is highly dangerous.
Meth production creates explosive gases and gases that are deadly to breathe, Shea said. One of the main ingredients explodes when it comes into contact with water, which makes it especially dangerous for the fire department.
Even people who are not involved in the actual production of meth are at risk if they are near a meth lab.
"For every quantity of meth that is produced, there is a greater waste product produced," Haden said. "It would be foolish of us to think people producing meth are putting the waste into barrels and burying it. They're not."
Shea said waste from meth production is left all around Boone County. Sometimes citizens wake up to find bags of it in their yards.
"The argument can be made that someone who's just using a drug in their home isn't a huge danger to anyone else, but with meth, the actual cooking process is dangerous to anyone in the vicinity," Shea said.
Meth is highly addictive and has dangerous side effects, including violent behavior, Haden said.
"There is a concern for the addict's welfare and everyone around them," she said.
Often, Haden said, the addiction causes extreme paranoia, and meth addicts are likely to obtain firearms because of this behavioral symptom. Shea said the meth problem stays at a fairly constant rate. "We're overwhelmed with it. There's a natural ebb and flow with this stuff."