04/24/2006
Feed
Store Owner Convicted of Felony for
Supplying Chemical to Methamphetamine Cooks
A Damascus, Oregon woman admitted selling large amounts of Iodine
to
individuals she knew used it to manufacture methamphetamine
PORTLAND, OREGON - U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mosman sentenced
Abigail Lou Belmont, 48, of Boring, Oregon, to 3 years probation, with
6 months home detention for selling iodine to people she knew were going
to use it to manufacture methamphetamine. As part of her sentence, Ms.
Belmont forfeited $l5,887 which represented the illegal proceeds she
obtained from illegally selling iodine. She faced a maximum sentence
of four years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised
release.
Ms. Belmont co-owned
and worked at Damascus Farm and Garden Supply. Among the various products
the store sold was iodine. While iodine has a number of legitimate uses,
such as being a topical antiseptic for horses and cattle, it can also
be used to produce a highly potent form methamphetamine.
Law enforcement
officials, in their on going efforts to clamp down on indigenous methamphetamine
labs in the State of Oregon, utilized an informant and undercover officer
to purchase large amounts of iodine from Ms. Belmont. The investigation
revealed that Ms. Belmont sold iodine to people she knew were using
it to make methamphetamine. In selling the iodine to "meth cooks"
she allowed them to use fictitious identification, bogus vehicle registrations,
and requested that her store labels be removed from the bottles all
in an effort to circumvent law enforcement efforts to monitor the sales
of iodine.
In a letter to
the court, Ms. Belmont admitted that she "sold iodine to one man
[she] knew as a 'meth cook'" and repeatedly "turned a blind
eye" to who some of her customers were and why they wanted the
iodine.
"This case
is important," U.S. Attorney Karin J. Immergut said, "not
only to punish this defendant for her criminal conduct, but to send
a message to others that if you illegally divert chemicals to assist
the production of methamphetamine, you will be prosecuted and could
end up in federal prison."
Sgt Lacey Bettis of the Oregon State Police Drug Enforcement Section,
Meth Initiative Team, looks at this case as a deterrent to those individuals
who divert legitimate chemicals for illegitimate purposes, such as manufacturing
methamphetamine. "With the assistance of the DEA chemical diversion
unit, Portland, Oregon, and the Clackamas County Special Investigations
Unit in this investigation, we were able to stop the diversion of large
amounts of iodine destined for clandestine meth labs located in Clackamas
County and surrounding areas, " said Sgt Bettis. "This case
is unique in the fact that we were able to obtain federal prosecution,
and it should be a wake-up call to the individuals who made purchases
of the iodine because we have identified and are looking at them. If
they continue to purchase the chemicals, we now have a team in place
to take enforcement action again them or others."
This case was a
joint investigation by the Oregon State Police, Drug Enforcement Administration,
and the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. The case was prosecuted by
Assistant U.S. Attorney Pamala R. Holsinger. For further information,
contact Public Information Officer Diane Peterson at (503) 727-1066.
