By Barbara Green/Correspondent
May 2, 2004

MONTAGUE COUNTY (Special) - Montague County law enforcement will tell you a "dope epidemic" is plaguing North Texas, especially the rural areas where the quiet countryside seems to beckon the Nazi meth lab producer.

With ingredients and equipment easy to obtain, the manufacture and sale of methamphetamine has become a predominant crime in Montague County. In an effort to cut off the ingredients, the Montague County Sheriff's Department in cooperation with police departments in the county, will be asking county businesses that sell pseudoephedrine tablets to place voluntary restrictions on the sale and purchase of these products.

County Sheriff Chris Hamilton has solicited the support of the Sheriff's Association of Texas to urge the legislature to pass a bill similar to Oklahoma House Bill 2176.

Recently approved, this bill requires cold and allergy tables be sold by a licensed pharmacy. To purchase these products, the consumer will have to show valid photo identification and will be limited to only nine grams per month. The pharmacy will keep an accurate record of the transaction, which will in turn be available to law enforcement.

The sheriff's department in cooperation with local police, the district attorney, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the North Texas Regional Drug Task Force will be going to Montague County businesses that sell pseudoephedrine tablets asking them to place similar voluntary restrictions on the drugs. Hamilton also has contacted sheriffs in Clay, Archer, Jack, Cooke, Grayson and Wise Counties to adopt a program. Wichita County has already adopted a program.

In his letter to the state sheriff's association, Hamilton explains officers in rural Texas are spending approximately 80 percent of their time working Nazi meth cases or violent and property crimes associated with this highly addictive controlled substance. These offenders are filling courts, jails and prisons across the state.

A Nazi drug lab can be set up anywhere and most ingredients are readily available from any convenience store. Its main components are pseudoephedrine, lithium, ether, anhydrous ammonia, denatured alcohol, drain opener, salt and others depending on the cooking process being utilized.

The "cookers" use any pseudoephedrine in tablet form, usually white, from which they extract the drug. Gel caps and liquid tablets cannot be used.

Hamilton said he has spoken with state legislators about getting a bill similar to the Oklahoma one passed in Texas, however, the results have not panned out. With the new restrictions in Oklahoma, Hamilton said Texas can expect to see an "overwhelming increase" of this type of activity from those who live in Oklahoma attempting to avert that state's law by coming into Texas.

"I am asking that all Texas sheriffs adopt a voluntary preventative program with their businesses, which would also limit the sale of pseudoephedrine prior to Texas passing a bill. I think it is the best we can go do until we get a law. The best would be to make it a Schedule 5 drug requiring a prescription," explained the sheriff.

When officers begin going into county businesses that sell these products, they will ask the owners to limit the sale of pseudoephedrine-based cold and allergy tablets in 30, 60, 120 and 240 milligrams to two boxes. This would not include liquid, liquid capsules or gel caps.

A valid photo identification would be required to purchase the locked-up products, and the business would be asked to keep an accurate record of these sales and make them available to law enforcement for inspection upon request. Hamilton said the business owners might consider posting the restrictions.

Some stores that sell pseudo products have already taken them off the open shelving, which requires people to ask for them. Hamilton said the information law officers will be able to gather from the sales sheets at these stores will be compared with their own intelligence information, helping building cases against those who "cook dope."

"The person who buys Sudafed for a cold once a while doesn't have a worry, but those bad folks better have a little concern," said Hamilton.

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