(Cushing) – Cushing Police and the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Department conducted a seminar in Cushing designed to raise awareness among business owners and landlords about the sudden resurgence in illicit methamphetamine labs. Officer Jared Lowe of the Tulsa County Drug Task Force spoke to a group of about 30 people in Cushing regarding his agency’s effort to combat the meth lab problem. Lowe noted that his agency and others are getting tips from the public regarding the location of meth labs and the people who operate them. Cushing Police Chief Terry Brannon also noted there has been good cooperation from the public, and the seminar today was to educate people who may be able to help even more.
One of the components of the seminar was showing how commonplace items are used in the production of meth, and that business owners should be on the lookout for people buying the items, especially in quanity. Items such as Coleman Lantern fuel, starting fluid, drain cleaners, and fertilizers are used along with 2 liter plastic bottles.
The recent development of a simplified “cooking” method has brought a resurgence in the number of cases of locally produced meth according to Sgt. Tully Folden of the Cushing Police Department. He notes there has been an increase in meth lab arrests over last year. Three meth labs have been taken down in Cushing since the first of the year.
In Tulsa County, there have been more than 140 meth labs taken down, and 7 fires associated with meth labs since the first of the year. Several fatalities are believed to be the result of meth lab fires.
Those in the audience raised many questions about what to look for, and what can be done. Lowe says one of the things that would be most helpful to law enforcement is to make the pseudoephedrine and ephedrine products a Schedule II drug which would require a prescription, thereby removing the main ingredient used in illicit meth production from store shelves.
Lowe says the legislation approved by Oklahoma Lawmakers creating a database of pseudoephedrine purchases helped for a time, but says meth cooks have gotten around it by getting others to make purchases of the over the counter cold medications used in meth production, and by purchasing small quanities of the products at numerous locations.
Most of the products needed for the production of meth- amphetamine are widely available at dollar stores, discount stores like Wal-Mart, and even grocery and convenience stores.
Cushing Police Chief Terry Brannon told KUSH that at some point in the future, another educational seminar will be held to reach an even broader segment of the population about meth labs.
To see a video of a demonstration of a meth lab, click the video below.
