Editor's note: This is the first story in a three-part series about methamphetamine called "Meth: Inside the Epidemic."
WILLMAR -- It's all in the name.
Amp, crank, crystal, blue belly, la glass, white cross, chalk, ice, zoom, buzzard dust, devil dust, white crunch.
And the list goes on.
The effects and prevalence of methamphetamine have been debated across the country. Theories range across the board -- with some calling it an epidemic and others claiming the media has overhyped the issue.
ADVERTISEMENT
Wherever the truth lies, meth continues to be battled by prosecutors, law enforcement, educators and legislators across the country.
Whether or not it's warranted, the crackdown on crank continues, and Kandiyohi County is no exception.
Of the 104 drug cases opened by the Kandiyohi County Attorney's Office this past year, 58 have been meth cases, said Boyd Beccue, Kandiyohi County Attorney. Those 58 cases represent about 56 percent of the drug cases opened between Aug. 1, 2005, and Aug. 11, 2006.
"That's just the drug cases," Beccue added.
What's not calculated into that percentage are the number of crimes committed and prosecuted due to addiction to meth. Many crimes like theft, forgery and spousal and child abuse can also be linked to the meth problem.
Beccue said marijuana- and alcohol-related crimes are still more predominant among minor offenders. In fact, the CEE-VI Drug Task Force seized more than 35 times as much marijuana as meth in 2005, according to the Willmar Police Department's annual report.
However, the destructiveness of meth is cause for concern. Meth is highly addictive and very damaging to the body, Beccue said. And although marijuana is sometimes referred to as the gateway drug, its effects are far less powerful than those caused by meth.
"Marijuana doesn't rip your mind out and throw it in a garbage can," said Detective Sgt. Tony Cruze with the Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Department.
ADVERTISEMENT
Cruze, who also heads up the CEE-VI Task Force, said the drug wreaks havoc on the body and destroys families. Mindful not to play down the effects of marijuana, he said to say marijuana isn't harmful would be wrong. "It's just that this stuff will kill you quick," Cruze said about meth.
And meth use isn't an isolated problem.
Susan Gaertner, Ramsey County Attorney and president of the Minnesota County Attorneys Association, said one of eight offenders in Minnesota prisons is there for manufacturing or possessing meth. It's a trend that is reflected by the 390 percent increase in the number of meth offenders since 2001, Gaertner said.
Last year alone, the CEE-VI Task Force seized enough meth to get everyone in Kandiyohi County high for 12 to 14 hours, Cruze said. Cruze noted that this doesn't include meth seized by the Willmar Police Department or the Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Department.
The CEE-VI seizures come from the six-county area served by the task force: Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Meeker, Renville, Swift and Yellow Medicine.
Over the past two years CEE-VI has seized nearly 14 pounds of meth. More meth was purchased in undercover operations, which brings the number even higher, Cruze said.
Compare that with the 1½ pounds of cocaine seized, and the true horror of this drug begins to show.
"I don't think you can blow it out of proportion," Cruze said.
ADVERTISEMENT
But numbers can be deceiving. Fourteen pounds of meth may not seem like a large quantity to some, but its street value is enormous.
The nearly 14 pounds of meth seized equates to roughly 6,300 grams. Cruze said 1½ grams usually sells for around $150, and can get a person high anywhere from six to 15 times.
In fact, 0.1 gram or a little more is all that is generally used in one sitting, Cruze said. Which makes the more than 6,300 grams seized by the CEE-VI Drug Task Force seem monumental.
See Wednesday's West Central Tribune to read part two of "Meth: Inside the epidemic."
