In the past few years, Detective Sergeant Mark Whittaker of the Darke County Sheriff's Department has given presentations on the effects of methamphetamines, including the drug's history, manufacture, signs of abuse and current local trends, to nearly every public safety official in the county.
"I try to get this information to as many people as possible," Whittaker stated.
He has also given the presentation to numerous civic clubs and organizations, as well as Midmark supervisors, state officials and the Brookville EMS and Fire Department.
As Supervisor of Investigations, Whittaker is in charge of five detectives and is one of only two detectives in Darke County who is Clandestine Lab certified, qualifying him to seize and dismantle labs.
The first known meth lab in Darke County was discovered after a house explosion in Greenville in 1998. Over half the meth labs discovered in Darke County have been found due to an explosion or fire.
According to Whittaker, in 1999-2000, there were indications that meth labs were operating in Darke County and that there use was becoming an increasing local problem.
More effective intelligence-gathering by local law enforcement led to the seizure of two meth labs in 2001. One was a mobile lab and the other a stationary lab located on a 40-acre farm on McFeeley-Petry Road near State Route 49.
From 2003-2004, five meth labs were seized within a 6-month time frame, significantly reducing the manufacture and possession of the drug within Darke County.
There was only one meth lab seized in 2005, partly due to the past success of local law enforcement and also due to help from lawmakers.
"The legislation worked, and I knew it would," Whittaker says of the restrictions imposed on pseudoephedrine sales.
The law requires pharmacies and retailers to keep products containing pseudoephedrine, one of the ingredients used to make meth, behind the counter.
According to Whittaker, this prevents "pill-smurfing," where those planning to make meth could purchase the 1,500-2,000 pills needed to make the drug from several stores in a matter of hours.
This isn't the first time lawmakers have tried to deter the manufacture of meth. According to Darke County Prosecutor Richard Howell, the law on "precursors" was passed in 2001, requiring a mandatory jail sentence if a person is in possession of two or more chemicals used in the manufacture of meth.
"It isn't so much having the chemicals as how you have them," Howell stated. "If you're storing anhydrous ammonia in a propane tank and ripping apart batteries, those are pretty good indications of your intentions."
Lithium strips, found in batteries, are another of the key ingredients in meth production.
Possession of a triple-neck flask present in more sophisticated labs also carries a mandatory prison sentence.
"We rarely see that," said Whittaker. "To the untrained eye, most meth labs look like a heap of junk."
Whittaker also credits better intelligence, including a close partnership between the two full-time narcotics officers in Darke County and a detective from the Greenville Police Department for the decline in meth use locally.
Despite decreasing meth production and use in Darke County, Whittaker is prepared for a resurgence, as the drug can be trafficked in from other areas, including Mexico.
"It's supply and demand," Whittaker explained. "That goes for the legal as well as illegal markets. If meth is more profitable than cocaine, they'll switch to meth."
Meth is easy to make and it is still relatively easy to obtain the necessary ingredients. To compound the problem, the average "cook" teaches approximately ten others how to make meth.
There is a huge profit margin: $600 of chemicals makes $2000 worth of drug.
"But they're not spending $600 on these chemicals," Whittaker stated. "They're stealing most of it."
Every pound of meth produced leaves behind five to six pounds of toxic waste. Clean-up of lab sites can cost up to $150,000.
Funds for dismantling and cleaning up local meth labs come from the federal government.
"It's good it doesn't come out of our county's budget, but it's still taxpayers' dollars," Whittaker stated.
According to Whittaker, there has been one reported theft of anhydrous ammonia, commonly used in meth production, in northern Darke County this year. He added that there are different "recipes" used to make meth. Manufacturers are changing methods since there is better monitoring of anhydrous ammonia.
"We're seeing the red phosphorus method being used in Preble County," Whittaker said. Red phosphorus can be obtained from the strike strip on matchboxes.
Darke County is currently investigating reports of labs, although there have been no lab busts in the past 12 months.
Look for future stories on the effects of meth use, drug endangered children and the drug's history in upcoming editions of the Daily Advocate.
Tammy Obeidallah is a staff writer for the Daily Advocate. She can be reached at tobeidallah@dailyadvocate.com.
"Ads published on this site are not for republication in print or web media without the expressed written consent of both the advertiser and Ohio Community Media."
