Mat-Su Drug Team works overtime to bust meth labs

WASILLA -- The five officers of the Alaska State Troopers' Mat-Su Drug Team work 70 to 80 hours a week, in their ongoing mission to eradicate a growing number of highly toxic and sometimes violently explosive methamphetamine labs.

According to Sgt. Patrick Davis, of the Drug Team, they have already eradicated approximately 25 labs this year, more than double the number from all of last year combined.

It's not easy to predict where the labs are located, so Davis' team casts a wide net.

"We find them in rentals, apartments, cabins and vehicles," Davis said, "there's no limit to where they're found."

Davis has nothing but praise for his officers' work ethic. "My guys are like pit bulls," he said, "and we have a little saying around here, 'If you cook it, we will come.'"

The Mat-Su, with its wide open spaces between neighbors, has become an attractive place to cook and manufacture meth. The relatively private homes combined with the fact that meth is readily available and easily manufactured, makes the Drug Team's mission even more difficult. Unlike marijuana growers who have to wait 90 days to harvest their crop, meth manufacturers can have their products ready to sell in a matter or days and sometimes even hours, depending on what method of production is used. The materials are also easily obtained and relatively cheap, according to Davis.

Public safety is compromised much more with meth labs than with marijuana growers, and this reality is reflected in the law. Recently, the manufacturing of meth in Alaska was moved from a class C felony to a class A, meaning that first-time offenders can now face up to five years in prison. According to the Palmer District Attorney's office, five years is a typical sentence. The impact on the Superior Court in Palmer is substantial.

"Traditionally we have dealt with growers and now we deal with more serious crimes," Davis said. For the prison system this means more felons and more jail time.

According to the United States Office of Drug Control Policy, chronic use of methamphetamine can lead to psychotic behavior including intense paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and out-of-control rages. Chronic users sometimes develop sores on their bodies from scratching at "crank bugs," a common delusion of meth users, causing them to believe there are bugs crawling under their skin.

Davis said children also face health risks because of meth labs.

"Just the other day we found a meth lab in the woods, near a neighborhood where kids play," Davis said.

Palmer Assistant District Attorney Paul Roetman agreed with Davis, adding, "We are seeing cases where children are involved or sleeping in rooms next door with open jars of chemicals in them."

The Drug Team encourages those who are suspicious of a meth lab to call them at 373-0705, or 911 after hours.

Contact Joel Davidson at joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.