State Leaders Say Tough Laws Brought Down Meth Lab Raid Numbers
BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) –
In 2012, Alabama passed legislation aimed at helping law enforcement crack down meth.
Alabama law enforcement raided 720 meth labs three years ago. In 2013, that number was 154.
During a press conference Thursday morning outside the Jefferson County Jail, state leaders credited tougher state laws for bringing down those numbers.
They say Alabama has the toughest laws in the country when it comes to fighting meth.
The 2012 legislation established a drug offender database. It also reduced how much pseudoephedrine a person can buy each month. And it made it a felony to "smurf."
Smurfing is going from pharmacy to pharmacy buying pseudoephedrine, which is used to make meth.
Rob Savage, Commander of the Etowah County Drug Task Force, says he’s been pushing for tougher legislation, especially after what he witnessed during one meth lab seizures.
"About 7 years ago one particular search warrant where we entered a meth lab residence where a two week old child was laying on a sofa that had just undergone open heart surgery," Savage said.
He continued saying, "Approximately 10 feet away was an active meth lab on the dining room table. So you can imagine an impact it might have on a person such as myself and my agents and from that day we all recommitted."
While state leaders say progress has been made cracking down on meth in Alabama, they’re now focusing their attention on "ice."
Ice is a high grade of crystal meth manufactured in Mexico and smuggled across the border.
It now makes up 80 percent of meth seized in Alabama.