METH AWARENESS DAY – NOV. 30, 2006
METH REMAINS TOP DRUG THREAT
IN KANSAS AND MIDWEST

Community partnership is the best way
to fight drug traffickers, says U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren

WICHITA, KAN. – Pressure from law enforcement has pushed many small methamphetamine labs in Kansas out of business, but drug trafficking organizations that buy meth from super labs in Mexico are stepping in to fill the vacuum, U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren said Wednesday as federal prosecutors prepared to observe Methamphetamine Awareness Day.

“No other drug available on the streets of Kansas is doing so much to destroy its users and undermine the safety of our communities,” said Melgren said. “Public awareness is the best weapon in the war on meth. I urge every parent, teacher, health professional and citizen of Kansas to join with law enforcement in an effort to educate ourselves and our children about this threat.”

A new Web site (www.usdoj.gov/methawareness) created by the Department of Justice offers information about the dangers of meth use and tips on finding organizations that are looking for volunteers.

In this state, the Kansas Methamphetamine Prevention Project (www.ksmethpreventionproject.org) is another valuable source of information. The project provides mini-grants for meth prevention initiatives, as well as training and a clearinghouse for statistics on meth lab seizures, treatment programs and other topics.

Meth prosecutions in Kansas

Prosecutions of meth related crimes are frequent and some of them receive little notice outside law enforcement. Here are some significant federal prosecutions of methamphetamine cases in Kansas this year:

– Operation Iceberg, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, led to indictments against more than two dozen people and the breakup of four separate methamphetamine trafficking organizations in Kansas City, Kan., in March 2006.
–The sentencing in September 2006 of Fidencio Verdin-Garcia and Miguel Romero to life in prison. The two men were convicted of leading a drug trafficking organization that employed human “mules” to carry “ice” – methamphetamine in crystal form – from California into Kansas and vacuum sealed packages of cash from Kansas to California.
– The sentencing in May 2006 of Terry Huskey to life in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distributing methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Convicted twice before on drug charges, Huskey admitted that in less than 9 months in 2003 and 2004 he was responsible for distributing approximately 12 pounds of methamphetamine in the Kansas City metro area.
– The sentencing in November 2006 of Billy Nowell to 13 years in federal prison on charges of conspiring to manufacture methamphetamine, a crime that led to the Jan. 19, 2005, killing of Greenwood County Sheriff Matt Samuels. Also convicted in the case were Belinda Cooper, Darrel Cooper, Rhonda O’Brien and Matt Denny. Scott Cheever is facing trial in Greenwood County District Court on capital murder and methamphetamine charges.
– The sentencing in June 2006 of a Dodge City man, Felipe Bedolla-Izazaga, to 30 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute meth and related charges. Evidence at trial showed that Bedolla-Izazaga imported meth from California to Kansas by train and by car.
– The seizure of more than $41,000 in cash from Wichitan Tong Sayonh, who is set to be sentenced Feb. 5, 2007, after pleading guilty to 3 counts of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
– The plea of guilty in October 2006 by Miguel Ramos-Garcia to charges he distributed 30 pounds of methamphetamine in Wichita and the forfeiture to the government of the property he called “the ranch” at 5355 S. Woodlawn in Derby, Kan., which he and others used to further a drug trafficking conspiracy.
– The sentencing in March 2006 of Alfredo Torres to 24 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to possessing 2.6 kilograms (more than 5.7 pounds) of pure methamphetamine on Jan. 8, 2004, when a Shawnee County sheriff deputy searched his car at a truck stop on the western edge of Topeka. Torres was considered a career offender under federal sentencing guidelines due to two prior felony narcotics convictions.

Community Partnership

Arresting and prosecuting drug traffickers is only part of the National Drug Control Strategy. Reducing demand for methamphetamine and other drugs is a crucial component, too.

“Education is the first step,” Melgren said. “At the Meth Awareness Web site you can watch videos of former meth users talking about their experiences. Every parent, and any young person who is thinking of experimenting with meth should get the facts first. Too many people don’t discover the truth until they are arrested or find themselves in an emergency room.”

 

Meth Awareness Quiz

1) True or false? Small laboratories in rural areas are producing most of the methamphetamine in Kansas.
False. Meth lab seizures in Kansas have fallen each year since 2001, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Meth manufactured in Mexico and imported to Kansas by drug trafficking organizations is on the rise.

2) True or false? Meth labs are no longer a problem in Kansas.
False. In 2005 there were 353 methamphetamine lab seizures in the state, says the DEA.

3) Question: What do ether, paint thinner, Freon, acetone anhydrous ammonia, drain cleaner and battery acid have in common?
Answer: All can be used in the cooking process that produces meth.

4) True or false? Men use meth far more often than women.
Answer: False. Women use meth almost as frequently as men.

5) True or false? Meth is less dangerous than cocaine?
Answer: False. Meth remains in the central nervous system longer than cocaine. Chronic abuse produces a psychosis that resembles schizophrenia.

Get the facts at http://www.usdoj.gov/methawareness/

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