Who We Are - Overview

7 May 2001
“Operation No2Meth” Puts Retail Employees on Alert for Meth Precursor Chemical Sales
Businesses to Report Suspicious Activity

SAN DIEGO, CA – When does a simple package of cold medicine become a threat to the health and safety of San Diego County residents? When it’s purchased by careless meth “cookers” who use its primary ingredient–ephedrine and pseudoephedrine–to illegally manufacture the deadly stimulant, methamphetamine.

San Diego Sheriff’s deputies in the City of Vista and volunteer officers from the San Diego Police Department have teamed up to keep the precursor chemicals from being used for such illegal purposes. Ephedrine or pseudoephedrine can be obtained from common cold pills like allergy, cold, sinus, and asthma medications.

Today, the Meth Strike Force launched “Operation No2Meth,” a significant retail awareness effort to make clerks and managers aware of existing state, county and city legislation that limits the sale of products, containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, to no more than three packages or 9 grams per transaction in a 24-hour period. Employees and managers will also receive training to familiarize themselves with the chemicals, solvents and apparatus used to manufacture meth.

“Methamphetamine is a powerful and dangerous drug because it can be made from readily available, legal chemicals and substances,” said San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob. “It’s a terrible problem because the chemicals used to make meth are so volatile and the cookers so careless they often result in fires and explosions, endangering not only their lives, but the lives of those around them”.

The chemicals used to manufacture meth can be very dangerous before and environmentally hazardous after the drug is produced, making abandoned labs mini toxic waste sites that are harmful to people who may happen upon them and those in the surrounding area.

The fumes from the labs can kill people and the main byproduct from the distillation process is a toxic, red sludge often flushed down drains or dumped into streams or rivers. Red phosphorous, for example, changes to white phosphorous when exposed to air and becomes extremely explosive.

“Meth labs affect everybody. Everyone is at risk,” said Jack Drown, San Diego County Undersheriff and co-chair of the Meth Strike Force. “The production of one pound of meth results in about six pounds of waste products. Cookers show no concern whatsoever about their disposal, generally dumping them in a pit in the back yard.”

For the next few months, San Diego Police Department volunteers and Vista Sheriff’s deputies will visit dozens of retail stores that sell products containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine and other chemicals, solvents and apparatus used to illegally make meth. These chemicals – acetone, ether, iodine crystals, lye, msm (methylsulfonylmethane), coffee filters, rubber tubing and many other products–can be easily obtained at almost any hardware, discount, supermarket or farm service store.

Purchased individually, these common household items do not necessarily indicate a person is making meth. However, when someone is buying large quantities or buying these products in combinations, they may be involved in the manufacturing of the deadly drug.

Meth labs can be found anywhere: in a hotel room, a home, a backyard, a garage, and even in the trunk of a car.

“It’s important for managers and employees to become familiar with these items, and the quantities and combinations that are being purchased,” said San Diego Police Captain Larry Moratto.

SDPD volunteers will visit dozens of stores and pharmacies in the mid city, western and eastern areas of San Diego, educate employees and distribute brochures with the names and pictures of some of the most commonly bought chemicals, solvents and apparatus used to make meth. They will also instruct employees to notify their manager of any suspicious activity and call the Meth Hotline at (877) NO2-METH (662-6384). They will be asked to provide a description of the person, including whether they are male or female, approximate age, weight, height and the license plate number and type of the vehicle being driven. All the information provided is confidential.

“If people are buying these chemicals by the caseloads, employees need to know that they are probably using them to make meth and call should the meth hotline or their local police and report them,” added Moratto.

In Vista, the Sheriff’s Department’s South Vista COPPS (Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving) deputies, who attended a special training in Sacramento, will canvass nearly 100 businesses in the area.

“We want those involved in the clandestine manufacturing of methamphetamine to be aware that Vista is a very difficult place to set up shop and manufacture meth,” said Sergeant Marcos Ramirez, who is spearheading the campaign. “The City of Vista has developed a tough stand on meth manufacturers and users, and is dedicated to eradicating the meth scourge that plagues our community. Those involved in the manufacturing of meth, don’t come to Vista. The outcome is extremely bleak for you.”

Once the education trainings are completed, police officers and Sheriff’s deputies will return to the businesses in an undercover capacity to determine whether they are abiding by the law.

“Law enforcement actions will be taken on those merchants who fail to adhere to the new precursor laws,” assured Sergeant Ramirez.
During 1999, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the San Diego County Narcotics Task Force seized 62 meth labs; a 41 percent increase over the previous year when agents dismantled 44 such labs. During 2000, 33 meth labs were seized in San Diego County. At the national level, the DEA seized 2,155 meth operations during 1999 and 1,627 in 1998.

When a meth lab is seized the clean up requires special training and costs between $3,100 and $150,000, depending on the size of the operation. The funds for the clean ups come from taxpayers.

San Diego County, once plagued by methamphetamine “super labs,” capable of producing 20 pounds of the deadly stimulant a day, have nearly disappeared. They have been replaced with smaller, “mom and pop” labs, which may be even more dangerous because these toxic and explosive set-ups are located in neighborhoods where unsuspecting families and children are present.

Warning signs of a meth environment include:

	Strong chemical odors
	Chemical containers such as cans of Freon, Coleman Fuel, alcohol and antifreeze
	Extra trash, unusual quantities of cold medicines, plastic tubing, or kitty litter
	Glassware or cookware, especially hot plates, chemical flasks, and propane cylinders
	Short term foot traffic or car traffic, especially at night
	Blacked out windows

If you suspect an illegal activity is taking place in you neighborhood, need help in dealing with meth, or would like employee training, call the Meth Hotline at 1- (877) NO2-METH (662-6384).